Sun, May 21: Leh – Khardungla Pass – Nubra, Ladakh, India

We left a bit late today for our trip over the Khardungla Pass, elevation 18,379 feet.  This is per India’s calculation; however, some think it is only 17,630 feet.  Using India’s elevation this road is the highest motor-able road in the world. 

We had great views of Leh from the road.

It is certainly high and the vistas are very dramatic.  Because of the high elevation the road takes a beating from the snow, ice and rock falls.  Consequently, it is pretty rough at the higher elevations. 

We ran into some slow sections on the way up.  However, once at the top it was a zoo.  This is Sunday and it appeared that many Indian’s were headed to the summit as a day trip.  Parking was very difficult and if you could find parking it was almost impossible to eventually get out.

There were a lot of bathroom units but most of the doors were stuck open due to snow drifts inside the units.  The few that you could get in were pretty bad.  Most of the public bathrooms we have seen were Asian squat toilets.  It is assumed that these were also but there was so much snow inside that one couldn’t find the hole.  One does what one must.  Most of the men just used a snow drift.

Tara did not fare well at the altitude.  By the time she made it to the car she was being half carried by the driver.  They got her into the car and pulled out the oxygen again.  It took a while to maneuver out and head downhill.  She was on oxygen for about a half hour or more before she was reasonably recovered.

The scenery was just as magnificent on the far side of the pass.  Part of this road follows the old Silk Road that we learned about in school.  

We eventually made it down to Nubra Valley and stopped for a late lunch.  Then we drove on towards our hotel.  

The valley is very beautiful with a river running through massive sand dunes and beautiful, desolate mountains surrounding it all.

There were the usual stupas lining the mountain roads...

and the occasional monastery.

At one stupa some children waved at us so we stopped and gave out tooth brushes and combs to them and took pictures.

We eventually got to our hotel, Lotus Eco Resort with luxury suites.  The facility has incredible potential but is a bit rough around the edges.  Tara said that since the tourist season is only three months and they cater to the Indian market they really can’t fix it up to its full potential as the Indian clientele would not pay the price.  We do have hot water on demand but the room has no heat (since their tourist season is during the hot season) and we have electricity only from 7:00 to 11:00 in the evening.  But we do have a great view of the mountains out of our window. 

Shortly after taking everything to the room we headed out to see the sand dunes and ride Bactrian camels (two humps).  Some were pretty shaggy as apparently they had started their shedding season.  Those still retaining most or some of their hair were reallllly shaggy.  We opted for a 15 minute ride on them and had a good time.  Much more comfortable than riding a dromedary (one hump) as the saddle is just some blankets instead of a wooden framework that digs into your legs.  However, no matter how comfortable, 15 minutes was enough.

On the way back we stopped at a cultural show where we saw four ethnic dances...

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Watch a video of the dance.

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Watch a video of the dance.

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and Tara made a new friend.
   

Then it was back to the hotel for dinner.  We talked a bit with three Germans who are on a motorcycle trip (along with a friend who wasn’t down for dinner).  They were traveling 30,000 kilometers from Germany through Europe, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and are heading next to Pakistan and then on to China before driving through Russia and back home.  Talk about adventurous.