2016 April - Leh

As some of friends here would remember, we lived two full years in Ladakh (Leh to be precise+local trips here and there........ details HERE) and have made numerous trips to that majestic land beyond the stay period. During winters of 2009-10, we had a historic snowfall on 10th of Nov 2009- so much so that the accumulated snow-turned-ice-turned-black ice were to remain intact, along roads and paths in Leh, till as late as April 2010. Needless to say that Zojila had got closed before mid November and could only open in end April (early May actually) next year (2010, ie). Well, that had been unusual spell of snowing in that desolate land. The next year, however, we were back to routine where in Zojila had remained practically open till last day of 2010 and road opened again in May 2011. As mentioned in Leh Diary, when the road remains cut off till April and beyond, many logistical issues crop up.....stocks of dry rations and tinned food begin to run out by end February; highly doubtful quality of frozen foods and non-veg stuff also finishes by March end. The only saving grace remains locally produced (but high in iron content) vegetables, some trickle supply of fresh stuff that army provides to civil administration and some supplies from lower Ladakh, notably Dah-Hanu belt where greenery and fertile season returns sooner than other parts of Ladakh.

It has been a few years since our last trip to the land we are in love with for long. A window of opportunity did open up this year but because of Czia's exams and Deepika's occupational business, only I could go. With some flexibility of dates available, I chose the last week of April - a moment in time when Leh is under max logistical stress. The ever increasing number of visitors that flock to Leh in March and April (a recent phenomenon), only adds to the stress.

25th Apr - I boarded the AI flight for Leh from Jammu. Just to update those who may like to know, Jammu-Leh connectivity (AI) is now twice a week - Sundays and Mondays- unlike only Mondays of yesteryears. I was expecting a few obvious changes since our departure from Leh in July-August 2011.....
1. With the arrival of electricity, comfort and related issues would have been resolved;
2. Pollution from generators would have come down but number of new vehicles would have added more, if not an equal amount, of carbon back into the clean air;
3. Deepika's dream project of turning Leh market into a visitor-friendly place, would have been materialised;
4. Some expansion would have happened or the town would be over-crowded by now;
5. The town must be under increased stress now...... and the list went on.

Security guys at Jammu airport showed a special interest in my hand baggage. Tomatoes, as per my friends in Leh, were not available and whatever was available, had been selling at a price in the excess of Rs 200 per Kg. As a logical fall out of that, my hand bag had five Kgs of tomatoes (@15 per Kg), some green chilies and fresh coriander......and no wonder then that security guys had seen (through x-rays) some unexploded hand grenades, safety pins and wires!

As the aircraft ran West on the runway and then banked right to head North/NE, the vistas opened up like magic.......a quick realisation of the fact that weather at Leh would be 180 degrees opposite that of a warm one at Jammu. Jammu was 31 degrees at the time of boarding!

Beginning of a change in the landscape


As far as eyes could see​

Before I waste your time in expectation of a travel log, lemme say that I was on a work-related trip and having had the privilege of travelling to all nooks and corners of Ladakh Province during earlier visits as also because of paucity of time during the present visit, I had no plans to venture outside the town during my week long stay at Leh. It will disappoint you if you are aiming for reading a typical travelogue; it would, however, be of certainly of some value to those who understand Leh well.

Yes, despite all the uneventful landings (as many by road as by air) in the past, I had started on Dimox 250mg two days prior to my boarding the flight. Twice a day, it is only useful if we increase water intake a bit....neither 05 litres a day nor 01 litre a day are the options - I would pick around three litres a day in addition to secondary fluids in the diet.

Banking left to align with the airstrip at Leh​

While we were in the process of exiting from Leh in 2011, a new hotel in Changspa area had been nearing its completion. Being built by Mr Wangchuk Kalon (one of the first serious tour operator and Snow Leopard sighting specialist of Ladakh), the hotel had been coming up nicely. As if out of that memory hangover or because of its location, I picked it up for the stay. Ladakh Residency, in fact, did live up to my expectations. More about it a bit later.

The 'welcome to Leh' announcement inside the aircraft informed us about outside temperature of 12 degrees. As I, like almost everyone else in the craft, pulled out a jacket from the handbag, I was reminded of my landings here during winters. At minus 15, the wind would hit the face like a tight slap from a dainty damsel (not that I have been given many such slaps by hypothetical dames) as one walked out of an ambient plane! Things, however, would be much better this time. 12 degrees, after all, mean an additional 27 degrees.....so, no slaps; just a touch of nip this time!

One good thing they do at Leh airport is to make educative announcements regarding health and related issues. I would recommend that all new visitors must hear those announcements carefully. Ladakhi pace of life is slow and the time that your baggage would take to hit the conveyor belt, would also enable you to go through a medical-related info board that is on display on a wall right next to the conveyor belt.

​

I was the first guest to check in that day. As I was to discover later, we were only six or seven guests in the hotel by the evening. A hotel with close to 30 rooms and suites, had all its staff in place. The team of waiters, housekeepers and chefs (most of them from Kangra in HP), had been flown in a few days back. All facilities were in operation (wi-fi, however, is only available in the lobby/dining hall areas.....work is in progress to make it accessible from all nooks and crannies). After the usual welcome, as I sat down in the lobby to check my whatsApp and mail, Mr Kalon walked in. We were meeting for the first time but I had heard about his entrepreneurship during initial days of Ladakh opening up and he, like most of Lehites, did remember Deepika who had 'forced' some very radical changes during her time with the town administration a few years back. Chatting with him over a cup of nun'chai, I realised the cost of operating such a business when commodities are not available and tourists are not many. Yes, April happens to be the month of loss making for such hotels that open up after hibernation. No wonder then, most of the cheaper hotels and guesthouses don't start operating at a full scale before first week of May.

Army had tried to open Zojila as early as 20th March 2016 but the western disturbances had ensured that the road was still closed on 25th of April. There was a desperation in the mind of Kalon and his daughter and it was easy to sense the same. They were cheerful, nonetheless. There was a time when only Grand Dragon Ladakh hotel had a lift. Now, many new properties have such facilities. I had requested for a room on the third floor. I had also requested for the room that faced my ever-favourite Stok Range! They had obliged me and a lift meant I did not have to exert first up on arrival at Leh.

The first thing I did, on entering my room, was to make use of this kettle. I warmed the water and drank a glass to start with.....

​

Based on my prior existential experience, I refrained from consuming coffee. Dairy whitener, in any case, causes bloating of the tummy and I chose the plain water to be safe. Time now to survey the immediate niche - the hotel room itself...

Room was well laid out and well ventilated.....yes, the hotel is centrally heated


A nice sit-out enabled one to soak in the Sun, ie, when notorious April winds were not blowing. Mornings and forenoons are usually quiet


Well-appointed washrooms have running hot water


Common areas are spacious, neat and well-maintained


  View from the room ....Stok Range is seen in the far distance with Stok Peak towards right quarter of the pic


A view of the lawn and sitting area below... they do organise bonfires here !


The immediate neighbourhood within the same building


Wind horses on an adjacent roof appeared to be emanating positive energies......Om Mani Padme Hume!

​The biggest problem of arriving by air is the fact that one has to lie dogo for at least 24 or 36hrs. 48 hours would be highly desirable. With flights arriving in the morning, 48 hrs get completed in time for third day to begin. So, there I was - lying still on my bed; getting up in between just to have a glass of warm water every hour or so! With Augusta Westland crashlanding in Parliament, I passed time watching the live proceedings from two houses.....was ashamed and assured in the equal measures all that while.

About three hours later, patience began to run out (who said people become more patient after 45!) and as soon as an opportunity presented itself in form of a call for lunch, I was up in a jiffy. Down below, in the dining hall, I was the only guest dining and staff was busy readying the buffet as I walked in (obviously earlier than they had desired). I asked and came to know about myself being the sole guest for the mid-day meal. I told them to forget the buffet and serve me on the table - why waste so much of time and food for one person! Despite the shortages, they served me with rice, roti, dal (I turned a vegetarian five years back - only exemptions being fish and eggs; never close all the options absolutely- some one had said once!), cottage cheese, fresh veg and more importantly, a good spread of cucumber, tomatoes, carrot and lemon. Brings me to another point of advice here - all such produce is full of iron (greenhouse production as also fresh ones from lower Ladakh) and it upsets tummy of the uninitiated in no time. Non veg MUST NOT be eaten before the road opens and the reason for such a curt advice lies hidden in Leh Diary.I did exercise some restraint but honestly, I did indulge a bit!

Finished my lunch and instead of going back to the room, I walked up the final stairs that took me to the roof top. Another plus of the hotel is open access to its roof from where one can see far and wide.

Left edge of Stok Range can be seen through dry trees. A few days later, trees will become green and will make a screen that would be opaque to the view


Stok Range (Stok Kangri is above the water tank as seen in the right portion of the pic)


This local artwork is now part of all new constructions in Leh..... many old buildings, as it is, already have it.


Majestic Stok Kangri


The usual sight in April ..... new life begins to take shape; green grass and such flora are some of the things that one misses the most during autumn through winters through this time of the year


Symbols of faith help life sustain when elements get harsher than usual


Alignment of road to Khardungla is seen as a horizontal line, giving a false impression of a zero gradient road to a lay onlooker.
​

Came back to the room, slept for a while with eyes closing on the views of the Stok Range without me realising the curtains coming down. I could sit and watch that view for hours and the addiction is not new. During our two years long stay, I could never tire of looking at this range and as fellow readers would realise, it appeared a number of times in that story of our stay in Leh.

Tashi, my friend and co-author of our book, Ladakh Simplified, dropped in to check on me. A round of nun'chai and coffee (me and he respectively), and we sat chatting. Soon, we were shifting between old days and the present day. I got some inputs about impact of 24hrsx 365 days electricity supply, Leh beautification plan, his rock-art explorations and such like issues. The inputs were both good and not so good. Electricity had ushered in a new phase of life in that part of Ladakh and that was a good news. Water supply, however, remains an issue during winters. Leh beautification project, sadly, had been lagging behind and had already breached a few deadlines. I would discover that for myself but that would be tomorrow.

Dinner was served in the room since they did not want their guests to get inconvenienced. It was pretty cold by now. I did not record the night time temperature but it appeared to be touching zero. Cold wind had been howling, adding to the wind chill factor!

Hit the sack and slept well except for a couple of times when I woke up thinking that I had stopped breathing......happens! Nothing major to report otherwise.

My forenoons had been earmarked for my official work.... after all, there has to be justification for one's existence. But being the day No 2, it was still a rest day for me. Woke up to a bright, sunny though pretty cold morning. As it happens in Ladakh, even during peak winters when mercury goes tumbling down, sunlight can enable you to shed your warmers as long as you are insulated from winds but if you remain in such a sunlight (Glasshouses/glass walls on eastern and south-eastern walls are common place here), I pulled the curtains and let the sun warm add to the warmth flowing out of the central heating system of the room. Stok was standing tall though some clouds were seen on the other side of the range....

​

After a leisurely start, went down to have a sumptuous breakfast, remaining careful not to stuff myself too much. After a cup of green mint tea and some chat with Mr Wangchuk, I took a short walk on the road that runs through Changspa.

It was like walking down the memory lane..... how many times I have walked on this road, including the days when black ice would stand on either side of it. Czia had studied in Moravian Missionary School that lies on the same road and it used to my ritual to pick her up from the school everyday. Bike and car rides through the locality are impossible to calculate..... those have been too numerous too. At this time of the year, street was deserted and practically empty. Walking down the street, thinking of the days gone by and that too without any noise or traffic rush to disturb..... a nostalgia was slowly building up.

​

I was not surprised to see most of the shops shut even though a few were in the process of getting dusted and resuming the business. A number of new properties have come up along this street. My walks, through the hinter areas on both sides of this street, during my last stay here, had revealed many open spaces and fields that lay hidden from the view from the street. Such open spaces are now being utilised for new constructions. A few old buildings stand replaced by newer ones.

I went till KC Gardens and turned around to walk on towards the other side, ie towards Shanti Stupa. It was almost the same thing - closed shops, some cleaning and construction work and absolute peace.

​

Got back to hotel soon since I did not want to exert too much. But before going in, clicked some pics for posterity...

Some new additions are visible on the monastery that overlooks Leh Palace


An aircraft takes a turn to head towards plains


Typical signs of expansion.....new houses on Sankar Hill


Solar heating is in a big way.... gone are the days of boilers that made you wait for hot water while taps ran full


Virtually no change in the inscription since past one decade or even more
​

Augusta kept dominating the news and proceedings of two houses in the parliament. After a while, I gave up on the TV and reverted to my favourite past time of reading. But I did curse the political class before picking up the book and moving to the balcony. Mercifully, wind had stopped blowing and it was nice and warm under the sun. Courtesy thick skin that I possess, I could comfortably sit and read without worrying about spf. BTW, the only cream that saves the sensitive ones here is the one with spf of 60.....anything less and the protection will not be complete!

Winds picked up in the afternoon. Having rested for almost 36 hours, I went out to see the Leh Beautification Project work. The first pleasant surprise was this church building near Khan Manzil....

​

As many travellers would know, Moravian missionaries were the first ones to land up here and many developments, both big and small, are attributed to them. The first radio, the greenhouse for growing vegetables, the best school in the town and many such things were courtesy the missionaries. This church is located at the intersection where Changspa road (coming from Shanti Stupa end), opens and meets the road coming from the main market and going upwards towards DC's residence/ice skating rink. Earlier, there used to be a big hand painted gate and Church building was also old. With this new construction that flows out of local tradition and artwork, the church has also pulled back a bit from the main road. As a result, there is a parking lot available. During the peak season, such small niches attain great values.

Kept walking towards main market and hit the crossing next to SBI. As many of us know, from the SBI crossing, one road goes down straight towards J&K Bank/Fort Road while the other one turns left into main market. The first glimpse of the road going towards J&K Bank and Fort Road, was encouraging....

This pic was taken from J&K Bank side.....SBI crossing is to the far end
​

As most of us would remember, this used to be a single road (turned one way during summers) with a crowded vegetable market on the right side(where a white wall is now seen) and famous German Bakery run by a Sikh gentleman (left hand side where a white half wall is seen next to a white car). All those things have been removed, encroachments lifted and road stands expanded into a two lane profile. It is of great help during peak season. This was what my spouse had thought about this stretch and traffic plan during her days at Leh. So far, so good!

From SBI crossing, I turned left towards main market/Jama Masjid and found a barrier blocking the road for vehicular movement. There was work going on towards what is the heart of Beautification Plan. A poster outside Jama Masjid declared the intent...

Wear and Tear is part of life in Ladakh....pl ignore the torn portions
​

This is where my reservations came to the fore...... as per original plan envisaged, after making the whole stretch from SBI to the end of the main market as NO TRAFFIC ZONE, existing footpaths were to be extended with plants, trees and artificial artwork adorning the walk. Some water dispensers and seating arrangements were supposed to be there for the convenience of the visitors and locals alike. All cafes and eateries were supposed to have an outside seating arrangements with umbrellas and aesthetically placed furniture. The centre of the road would have been meant for walking only and would have been open to traffic after 10pm. The idea was to allow shopkeepers to stock their establishments during a time of low activity as also to cater for move of ambulances and fire tenders during emergencies.

The plan being implemented, however, is as shown. Now, centre of the road is being left for the vendors and seating areas and side walks are being created. But there is no fire hydrant nor any arrangements to allow emergent vehicular movement in the area. I met a number of shopkeepers and had chats with them. Every one was unequivocal about lack of road space, difficulties in stocking the shops and likely death of the old businesses. New showrooms that cater for tourists, however, are coming up and oldies like Neha sweets and Het Ram Medicos have undergone a major overhaul for betterment. The underlying issue is that in most likelihood, shops that cater for locals more than tourists, ie grocery stores, shoe shops, banks, utensils shops, medicine shops, photostat shops, hardware stores, low priced govt stores etc will need to shift out to areas where they can bring in their supplies with ease since turn over of such shops is fast. Once these move out, market will start catering for tourists only but then that season is only for four or five months. Traditionally, when everything else shuts down during winters, a major chunk of main market, esp between Jama Masjid and till the far end of Main market, remains open and locals flock to that area where all there local needs get fulfilled at one place. With new system coming in, utility shops will get scattered across the town and it would be difficult for locals to obtain provisions from one area during winters. Also, with central boulevard now disconnected from eateries and restaurants, serving the guests will become difficult.

Another crib is the fact that the work that was to get over in one year, has been dragging its feet for three years now and inconvenience being caused as also disruption of good looks are the major factors. I believe, and good since it is for the first time, drainage has been dug beneath the road in the main market but there is no outlet beyond the main market because Leh never had any planned sewage system. They will, therefore, dig up other areas once the work finishes here. When such diggings are done during summers, local businesses suffer as is the case in the adjoining areas where digging has already begun (Gol Market area, eg). Some pics....

No passage for vehicles during emergency or for supplying the shops


Once work is finished, place will look better..... no doubts about that


History remains, as it was..... Leh Palace has undergone renovation though


The original watch tower overlooks Palace and Monastery in this profile
​

My evenings were spent walking around the market and meeting friends. Neha Sweets wears a better look but his issues with the monastery next door remain and expansion has not been the way the owner from Punjab had wanted. But it looks better and hot samosas and jalebis taste as good as these used to taste during days when the place had a very rudimentary structure.

Evenings, though, were very nippy and on one particular evening, my bare head almost froze with a tingling sensation in the skin of the forehead. Beer was consumed in good quantities but evenings were kept alcohol free. Iron rich vegetables did remind me, at least once, as to what all such eatables can do but things remained under control. Stok Range, during all this while, continued to fascinate and lure my attention.

With 24x7 electricity, Shanti Stupa has added some glitter.....it always had some light or the other earlier too
​

The week flew past unlike slow pace of the life in Ladakh. May be it was more due to the desire to stay on. Before I left, however, I joined the cheer in the town. Zojila was opened a couple a days before my departure. As the AI flight flew besides this monastery (Spituk Gomp ; non-Buddhists, mostly soldiers, call it Kaali Mata ka Mandir), I thought the fun was getting over but then our official carrier did a trick.

Yes, size does matter.....Stok Kangri


Spituk Village between Gompa and Indus
​

An announcement on Jammu bound flight welcomed all of us on the flight to Srinagar....this happened when the aircraft was in the process of taking off. I was seated in the second row and I kind of protested to the steward. Many others joined in reminding them that we were supposed to be flying to Jammu and not Srinagar. But he won't agree with us. I had no connecting flight to catch and a diversion via Srinagar would not have made much of a difference but there were others who had different plans. Finally, the guy relented and went behind the lousy curtain that hung at the end of the aisle.

A few moments later, a serious looking air hostess (AI hostess tend to be serious!) came in and asked for the boarding pass of the guy sitting in the front row. Being in a profession that I am in, I knew the aircraft was flying due West, towards Zojila since sun was up and shining, Moreover, the landmark of Nun-Kun twins that is used by pilots to swing southwards, over Zanskar and Kishtwar, to approach Jammu, was not seen. The suspense continued for a while as I sat enjoying the views.....

​

Finally, the lady came back and smiled for a change. My rusty mind could make out plane turn left and soon, we were flying besides the Twins...

One of the Twins obscured.....blame my late reaction!
​

So, we were finally headed where we were supposed to be heading. When the lady had come back with the boarding pass (reminded me of a checking staff doing a similar ritual in a DTC bus), she had been asked as to what had been happening and she had simply said, "Nothing"....and that was when she had smiled for a change. It was more of guilt and embarrassment than courtesy or anything else...... my old mind believes that! The staff, as it happens in Sarkari establishments, did not bother to clarify the issue on the PA system, let alone apologise. I, for sure, reminded them of the lapse of not opening up and apologising, as I crossed two mechanical statues doing Namaskar at the exit at Jammu Airport!

 

pril - a moment in time when Leh is under max logistical stress. The ever increasing number of visitors that flock to Leh in March and April (a recent phenomenon), only adds to the stress.

25th Apr - I boarded the AI flight for Leh from Jammu. Just to update those who may like to know, Jammu-Leh connectivity (AI) is now twice a week - Sundays and Mondays- unlike only Mondays of yesteryears. I was expecting a few obvious changes since our departure from Leh in July-August 2011.....
1. With the arrival of electricity, comfort and related issues would have been resolved;
2. Pollution from generators would have come down but number of new vehicles would have added more, if not an equal amount, of carbon back into the clean air;
3. Deepika's dream project of turning Leh market into a visitor-friendly place, would have been materialised;
4. Some expansion would have happened or the town would be over-crowded by now;
5. The town must be under increased stress now...... and the list went on.

Security guys at Jammu airport showed a special interest in my hand baggage. Tomatoes, as per my friends in Leh, were not available and whatever was available, had been selling at a price in the excess of Rs 200 per Kg. As a logical fall out of that, my hand bag had five Kgs of tomatoes (@15 per Kg), some green chilies and fresh coriander......and no wonder then that security guys had seen (through x-rays) some unexploded hand grenades, safety pins and wires!

As the aircraft ran West on the runway and then banked right to head North/NE, the vistas opened up like magic.......a quick realisation of the fact that weather at Leh would be 180 degrees opposite that of a warm one at Jammu. Jammu was 31 degrees at the time of boarding!

Beginning of a change in the landscape


As far as eyes could see​

Before I waste your time in expectation of a travel log, lemme say that I was on a work-related trip and having had the privilege of travelling to all nooks and corners of Ladakh Province during earlier visits as also because of paucity of time during the present visit, I had no plans to venture outside the town during my week long stay at Leh. It will disappoint you if you are aiming for reading a typical travelogue; it would, however, be of certainly of some value to those who understand Leh well.

Yes, despite all the uneventful landings (as many by road as by air) in the past, I had started on Dimox 250mg two days prior to my boarding the flight. Twice a day, it is only useful if we increase water intake a bit....neither 05 litres a day nor 01 litre a day are the options - I would pick around three litres a day in addition to secondary fluids in the diet.

Banking left to align with the airstrip at Leh​

While we were in the process of exiting from Leh in 2011, a new hotel in Changspa area had been nearing its completion. Being built by Mr Wangchuk Kalon (one of the first serious tour operator and Snow Leopard sighting specialist of Ladakh), the hotel had been coming up nicely. As if out of that memory hangover or because of its location, I picked it up for the stay. Ladakh Residency, in fact, did live up to my expectations. More about it a bit later.

The 'welcome to Leh' announcement inside the aircraft informed us about outside temperature of 12 degrees. As I, like almost everyone else in the craft, pulled out a jacket from the handbag, I was reminded of my landings here during winters. At minus 15, the wind would hit the face like a tight slap from a dainty damsel (not that I have been given many such slaps by hypothetical dames) as one walked out of an ambient plane! Things, however, would be much better this time. 12 degrees, after all, mean an additional 27 degrees.....so, no slaps; just a touch of nip this time!

One good thing they do at Leh airport is to make educative announcements regarding health and related issues. I would recommend that all new visitors must hear those announcements carefully. Ladakhi pace of life is slow and the time that your baggage would take to hit the conveyor belt, would also enable you to go through a medical-related info board that is on display on a wall right next to the conveyor belt.

​

I was the first guest to check in that day. As I was to discover later, we were only six or seven guests in the hotel by the evening. A hotel with close to 30 rooms and suites, had all its staff in place. The team of waiters, housekeepers and chefs (most of them from Kangra in HP), had been flown in a few days back. All facilities were in operation (wi-fi, however, is only available in the lobby/dining hall areas.....work is in progress to make it accessible from all nooks and crannies). After the usual welcome, as I sat down in the lobby to check my whatsApp and mail, Mr Kalon walked in. We were meeting for the first time but I had heard about his entrepreneurship during initial days of Ladakh opening up and he, like most of Lehites, did remember Deepika who had 'forced' some very radical changes during her time with the town administration a few years back. Chatting with him over a cup of nun'chai, I realised the cost of operating such a business when commodities are not available and tourists are not many. Yes, April happens to be the month of loss making for such hotels that open up after hibernation. No wonder then, most of the cheaper hotels and guesthouses don't start operating at a full scale before first week of May.

Army had tried to open Zojila as early as 20th March 2016 but the western disturbances had ensured that the road was still closed on 25th of April. There was a desperation in the mind of Kalon and his daughter and it was easy to sense the same. They were cheerful, nonetheless. There was a time when only Grand Dragon Ladakh hotel had a lift. Now, many new properties have such facilities. I had requested for a room on the third floor. I had also requested for the room that faced my ever-favourite Stok Range! They had obliged me and a lift meant I did not have to exert first up on arrival at Leh.

The first thing I did, on entering my room, was to make use of this kettle. I warmed the water and drank a glass to start with.....

​

Based on my prior existential experience, I refrained from consuming coffee. Dairy whitener, in any case, causes bloating of the tummy and I chose the plain water to be safe. Time now to survey the immediate niche - the hotel room itself...

Room was well laid out and well ventilated.....yes, the hotel is centrally heated


A nice sit-out enabled one to soak in the Sun, ie, when notorious April winds were not blowing. Mornings and forenoons are usually quiet


Well-appointed washrooms have running hot water


Common areas are spacious, neat and well-maintained


View from the room (idea of cup and saucer is a copyright of RKBharat though!)....Stok Range is seen in the far distance with Stok Peak towards right quarter of the pic


A view of the lawn and sitting area below... they do organise bonfires here !


The immediate neighbourhood within the same building


Wind horses on an adjacent roof appeared to be emanating positive energies......Om Mani Padme Hume!
​

The biggest problem of arriving by air is the fact that one has to lie dogo for at least 24 or 36hrs. 48 hours would be highly desirable. With flights arriving in the morning, 48 hrs get completed in time for third day to begin. So, there I was - lying still on my bed; getting up in between just to have a glass of warm water every hour or so! With Augusta Westland crashlanding in Parliament, I passed time watching the live proceedings from two houses.....was ashamed and assured in the equal measures all that while.

About three hours later, patience began to run out (who said people become more patient after 45!) and as soon as an opportunity presented itself in form of a call for lunch, I was up in a jiffy. Down below, in the dining hall, I was the only guest dining and staff was busy readying the buffet as I walked in (obviously earlier than they had desired). I asked and came to know about myself being the sole guest for the mid-day meal. I told them to forget the buffet and serve me on the table - why waste so much of time and food for one person! Despite the shortages, they served me with rice, roti, dal (I turned a vegetarian five years back - only exemptions being fish and eggs; never close all the options absolutely- some one had said once!), cottage cheese, fresh veg and more importantly, a good spread of cucumber, tomatoes, carrot and lemon. Brings me to another point of advice here - all such produce is full of iron (greenhouse production as also fresh ones from lower Ladakh) and it upsets tummy of the uninitiated in no time. Non veg MUST NOT be eaten before the road opens and the reason for such a curt advice lies hidden in Leh Diary.I did exercise some restraint but honestly, I did indulge a bit!

Finished my lunch and instead of going back to the room, I walked up the final stairs that took me to the roof top. Another plus of the hotel is open access to its roof from where one can see far and wide.

Left edge of Stok Range can be seen through dry trees. A few days later, trees will become green and will make a screen that would be opaque to the view


Stok Range (Stok Kangri is above the water tank as seen in the right portion of the pic)


This local artwork is now part of all new constructions in Leh..... many old buildings, as it is, already have it.


Majestic Stok Kangri


The usual sight in April ..... new life begins to take shape; green grass and such flora are some of the things that one misses the most during autumn through winters through this time of the year


Symbols of faith help life sustain when elements get harsher than usual


Alignment of road to Khardungla is seen as a horizontal line, giving a false impression of a zero gradient road to a lay onlooker.
​

Came back to the room, slept for a while with eyes closing on the views of the Stok Range without me realising the curtains coming down. I could sit and watch that view for hours and the addiction is not new. During our two years long stay, I could never tire of looking at this range and as fellow readers would realise, it appeared a number of times in that story of our stay in Leh.

Tashi, my friend and co-author of our book, Ladakh Simplified, dropped in to check on me. A round of nun'chai and coffee (me and he respectively), and we sat chatting. Soon, we were shifting between old days and the present day. I got some inputs about impact of 24hrsx 365 days electricity supply, Leh beautification plan, his rock-art explorations and such like issues. The inputs were both good and not so good. Electricity had ushered in a new phase of life in that part of Ladakh and that was a good news. Water supply, however, remains an issue during winters. Leh beautification project, sadly, had been lagging behind and had already breached a few deadlines. I would discover that for myself but that would be tomorrow.

Dinner was served in the room since they did not want their guests to get inconvenienced. It was pretty cold by now. I did not record the night time temperature but it appeared to be touching zero. Cold wind had been howling, adding to the wind chill factor!

Hit the sack and slept well except for a couple of times when I woke up thinking that I had stopped breathing......happens! Nothing major to report otherwise.

Continues!As some of friends here would remember, we lived two full years in Ladakh (Leh to be precise+local trips here and there........ details HERE) and have made numerous trips to that majestic land beyond the stay period. During winters of 2009-10, we had a historic snowfall on 10th of Nov 2009- so much so that the accumulated snow-turned-ice-turned-black ice were to remain intact, along roads and paths in Leh, till as late as April 2010. Needless to say that Zojila had got closed before mid November and could only open in end April  (early May actually) next year (2010, ie). Well, that had been unusual spell of snowing in that desolate land. The next year, however, we were back to routine where in Zojila had remained practically open till last day of 2010 and road opened again in May 2011. As mentioned in Leh Diary, when the road remains cut off till April and beyond, many logistical issues crop up.....stocks of dry rations and tinned food begin to run out by end February; highly doubtful quality of frozen foods and non-veg stuff also finishes by March end. The only saving grace remains locally produced (but high in iron content) vegetables,  some trickle supply of fresh stuff that army provides to civil administration and some supplies from lower Ladakh, notably Dah-Hanu belt where greenery and fertile season returns sooner than other parts of Ladakh.

It has been a few years since our last trip to the land we are in love with for long. A window of opportunity did open up this year but because of Czia's exams and Deepika's occupational business, only I could go. With some flexibility of dates available, I chose the last week of April - a moment in time when Leh is under max logistical stress. The ever increasing number of visitors that flock to Leh in March and April (a recent phenomenon), only adds to the stress.

25th Apr - I boarded the AI flight for Leh from Jammu. Just to update those who may like to know, Jammu-Leh connectivity (AI) is now twice a week - Sundays and Mondays- unlike only Mondays of yesteryears. I was expecting a few obvious changes since our departure from Leh in July-August 2011.....

   1.   With the arrival of electricity, comfort and related issues would have been resolved;

   2.   Pollution from generators would have come down but number of new vehicles would have added more, if not an equal amount, of carbon back into the clean air;

   3.   Deepika's dream project of turning Leh market into a visitor-friendly place, would have been materialised;

   4.   Some expansion would have happened or the town would be over-crowded by now;

    5.   The town must be under increased stress now...... and the list went on.

Security guys at Jammu airport showed a special interest in my hand baggage. Tomatoes, as per my friends in Leh, were not available and whatever was available, had been selling at a price in the excess of Rs 200 per Kg. As a logical fall out of that, my hand bag had five Kgs of tomatoes (@15 per Kg), some green chilies and fresh coriander......and no wonder then that security guys had seen (through x-rays) some unexploded hand grenades, safety pins and wires!

As the aircraft ran West on the runway and then banked right to head North/NE, the vistas opened up like magic.......a quick realisation of the fact that weather at Leh would be 180 degrees opposite that of a warm one at Jammu. Jammu was 31 degrees at the time of boarding!

Beginning of a change in the landscape

As far as eyes could see

Before I waste your time in expectation of a travel log, lemme say that I was on a work-related trip and having had the privilege of travelling to all nooks and corners of Ladakh Province during earlier visits as also because of paucity of time during the present visit, I had no plans to venture outside the town during my week long stay at Leh. It will disappoint you if you are aiming for reading a typical travelogue; it would, however, be of certainly of some value to those who understand Leh well.

Yes, despite all the uneventful landings (as many by road as by air) in the past, I had started on Dimox 250mg two days prior to my boarding the flight. Twice a day, it is only useful if we increase water intake a bit....neither 05 litres a day nor 01 litre a day are the options - I would pick around three litres a day in addition to secondary fluids in the diet.

 

Banking left to align with the airstrip at Leh

While we were in the process of exiting from Leh in 2011, a new hotel in Changspa area had been nearing its completion. Being built by Mr Wangchuk Kalon (one of the first serious tour operator and Snow Leopard sighting specialist of Ladakh), the hotel had been coming up nicely. As if out of that memory hangover or because of its location, I picked it up for the stay. Ladakh Residency, in fact, did live up to my expectations. More about it a bit later.

The 'welcome to Leh' announcement inside the aircraft informed us about outside temperature of 12 degrees. As I, like almost everyone else in the craft, pulled out a jacket from the handbag, I was reminded of my landings here during winters. At minus 15, the wind would hit the face like a tight slap from a dainty damsel (not that I have been given many such slaps by hypothetical dames) as one walked out of an ambient plane! Things, however, would be much better this time. 12 degrees, after all, mean an additional 27 degrees.....so, no slaps; just a touch of nip this time!

One good thing they do at Leh airport is to make educative announcements regarding health and related issues. I would recommend that all new visitors must hear those announcements carefully. Ladakhi pace of life is slow and the time that your baggage would take to hit the conveyor belt, would also enable you to go through a medical-related info board that is on display on a wall right next to the conveyor belt.

 

I was the first guest to check in that day. As I was to discover later, we were only six or seven guests in the hotel by the evening. A hotel with close to 30 rooms and suites, had all its staff in place. The team of waiters, housekeepers and chefs (most of them from Kangra in HP), had been flown in a few days back. All facilities were in operation (wi-fi, however, is only available in the lobby/dining hall areas.....work is in progress to make it accessible from all nooks and crannies). After the usual welcome, as I sat down in the lobby to check my whatsApp and mail, Mr Kalon walked in. We were meeting for the first time but I had heard about his entrepreneurship during initial days of Ladakh opening up and he, like most of Lehites, did remember Deepika who had 'forced' some very radical changes during her time with the town administration a few years back. Chatting with him over a cup of nun'chai, I realised the cost of operating such a business when commodities are not available and tourists are not many. Yes, April happens to be the month of loss making for such hotels that open up after hibernation. No wonder then, most of the cheaper hotels and guesthouses don't start operating at a full scale before first week of May.

Army had tried to open Zojila as early as 20th March 2016 but the western disturbances had ensured that the road was still closed on 25th of April. There was a desperation in the mind of Kalon and his daughter and it was easy to sense the same. They were cheerful, nonetheless. There was a time when only Grand Dragon Ladakh hotel had a lift. Now, many new properties have such facilities. I had requested for a room on the third floor. I had also requested for the room that faced my ever-favourite Stok Range! They had obliged me and a lift meant I did not have to exert first up on arrival at Leh.

The first thing I did, on entering my room, was to make use of this kettle. I warmed the water and drank a glass to start with.....

 

Based on my prior existential experience, I refrained from consuming coffee. Dairy whitener, in any case, causes bloating of the tummy and I chose the plain water to be safe. Time now to survey the immediate niche - the hotel room itself...

 

Room was well laid out and well ventilated.....yes, the hotel is centrally heated

 

A nice sit-out enabled one to soak in the Sun, ie, when notorious April winds were not blowing. Mornings and forenoons are usually quiet

 

Well-appointed washrooms have running hot water

 

Common areas are spacious, neat and well-maintained

 

View from the room (idea of cup and saucer is a copyright of RKBharat though!)....Stok Range is seen in the far distance with Stok Peak towards right quarter of the pic

 

A view of the lawn and sitting area below... they do organise bonfires here !

 

The immediate neighbourhood within the same building

 

Wind horses on an adjacent roof appeared to be emanating positive energies......Om Mani Padme Hume!

The biggest problem of arriving by air is the fact that one has to lie dogo for at least 24 or 36hrs. 48 hours would be highly desirable. With flights arriving in the morning, 48 hrs get completed in time for third day to begin. So, there I was - lying still on my bed; getting up in between just to have a glass of warm water every hour or so! With Augusta Westland crashlanding in Parliament, I passed time watching the live proceedings from two houses.....was ashamed and assured in the equal measures all that while.

About three hours later, patience began to run out (who said people become more patient after 45!) and as soon as an opportunity presented itself in form of a call for lunch, I was up in a jiffy. Down below, in the dining hall, I was the only guest dining and staff was busy readying the buffet as I walked in (obviously earlier than they had desired). I asked and came to know about myself being the sole guest for the mid-day meal. I told them to forget the buffet and serve me on the table - why waste so much of time and food for one person! Despite the shortages, they served me with rice, roti, dal (I turned a vegetarian five years back - only exemptions being fish and eggs; never close all the options absolutely- some one had said once!), cottage cheese, fresh veg and more importantly, a good spread of cucumber, tomatoes, carrot and lemon. Brings me to another point of advice here - all such produce is full of iron (greenhouse production as also fresh ones from lower Ladakh) and it upsets tummy of the uninitiated in no time. Non veg MUST NOT be eaten before the road opens and the reason for such a curt advice lies hidden in Leh Diary.I did exercise some restraint but honestly, I did indulge a bit!

Finished my lunch and instead of going back to the room, I walked up the final stairs that took me to the roof top. Another plus of the hotel is open access to its roof from where one can see far and wide.

 

Left edge of Stok Range can be seen through dry trees. A few days later, trees will become green and will make a screen that would be opaque to the view

 

Stok Range (Stok Kangri is above the water tank as seen in the right portion of the pic)

 

This local artwork is now part of all new constructions in Leh..... many old buildings, as it is, already have it.

 

Majestic Stok Kangri

 

The usual sight in April ..... new life begins to take shape; green grass and such flora are some of the things that one misses the most during autumn through winters through this time of the year

 

Symbols of faith help life sustain when elements get harsher than usual

 

Alignment of road to Khardungla is seen as a horizontal line, giving a false impression of a zero gradient road to a lay onlooker.

Came back to the room, slept for a while with eyes closing on the views of the Stok Range without me realising the curtains coming down. I could sit and watch that view for hours and the addiction is not new. During our two years long stay, I could never tire of looking at this range and as fellow readers would realise, it appeared a  number of times in that story of our stay in Leh.

Tashi, my friend and co-author of our book, Ladakh Simplified, dropped in to check on me. A round of nun'chai and coffee (me and he respectively), and we sat chatting. Soon, we were shifting between old days and the present day. I got some inputs about impact of 24hrsx 365 days electricity supply, Leh beautification plan, his rock-art explorations and such like issues. The inputs were both good and not so good. Electricity had ushered in a new phase of life in that part of Ladakh and that was a good news. Water supply, however, remains an issue during winters. Leh beautification project, sadly, had been lagging behind and had already breached a few deadlines. I would discover that for myself but that would be tomorrow.

Dinner was served in the room since they did not want their guests to get inconvenienced. It was pretty cold by now. I did not record the night time temperature but it appeared to be touching zero. Cold wind had been howling, adding to the wind chill factor!

Hit the sack and slept well except for a couple of times when I woke up thinking that I had stopped breathing......happens! Nothing major to report otherwise.

Continues!!

As some of friends here would remember, we lived two full years in Ladakh (Leh to be precise+local trips here and there........ details HERE) and have made numerous trips to that majestic land beyond the stay period. During winters of 2009-10, we had a historic snowfall on 10th of Nov 2009- so much so that the accumulated snow-turned-ice-turned-black ice were to remain intact, along roads and paths in Leh, till as late as April 2010. Needless to say that Zojila had got closed before mid November and could only open in end April  (early May actually) next year (2010, ie). Well, that had been unusual spell of snowing in that desolate land. The next year, however, we were back to routine where in Zojila had remained practically open till last day of 2010 and road opened again in May 2011. As mentioned in Leh Diary, when the road remains cut off till April and beyond, many logistical issues crop up.....stocks of dry rations and tinned food begin to run out by end February; highly doubtful quality of frozen foods and non-veg stuff also finishes by March end. The only saving grace remains locally produced (but high in iron content) vegetables,  some trickle supply of fresh stuff that army provides to civil administration and some supplies from lower Ladakh, notably Dah-Hanu belt where greenery and fertile season returns sooner than other parts of Ladakh.

It has been a few years since our last trip to the land we are in love with for long. A window of opportunity did open up this year but because of Czia's exams and Deepika's occupational business, only I could go. With some flexibility of dates available, I chose the last week of April - a moment in time when Leh is under max logistical stress. The ever increasing number of visitors that flock to Leh in March and April (a recent phenomenon), only adds to the stress.

25th Apr - I boarded the AI flight for Leh from Jammu. Just to update those who may like to know, Jammu-Leh connectivity (AI) is now twice a week - Sundays and Mondays- unlike only Mondays of yesteryears. I was expecting a few obvious changes since our departure from Leh in July-August 2011.....

   1.   With the arrival of electricity, comfort and related issues would have been resolved;

   2.   Pollution from generators would have come down but number of new vehicles would have added more, if not an equal amount, of carbon back into the clean air;

   3.   Deepika's dream project of turning Leh market into a visitor-friendly place, would have been materialised;

   4.   Some expansion would have happened or the town would be over-crowded by now;

    5.   The town must be under increased stress now...... and the list went on.

Security guys at Jammu airport showed a special interest in my hand baggage. Tomatoes, as per my friends in Leh, were not available and whatever was available, had been selling at a price in the excess of Rs 200 per Kg. As a logical fall out of that, my hand bag had five Kgs of tomatoes (@15 per Kg), some green chilies and fresh coriander......and no wonder then that security guys had seen (through x-rays) some unexploded hand grenades, safety pins and wires!

As the aircraft ran West on the runway and then banked right to head North/NE, the vistas opened up like magic.......a quick realisation of the fact that weather at Leh would be 180 degrees opposite that of a warm one at Jammu. Jammu was 31 degrees at the time of boarding!

Beginning of a change in the landscape

As far as eyes could see

Before I waste your time in expectation of a travel log, lemme say that I was on a work-related trip and having had the privilege of travelling to all nooks and corners of Ladakh Province during earlier visits as also because of paucity of time during the present visit, I had no plans to venture outside the town during my week long stay at Leh. It will disappoint you if you are aiming for reading a typical travelogue; it would, however, be of certainly of some value to those who understand Leh well.

Yes, despite all the uneventful landings (as many by road as by air) in the past, I had started on Dimox 250mg two days prior to my boarding the flight. Twice a day, it is only useful if we increase water intake a bit....neither 05 litres a day nor 01 litre a day are the options - I would pick around three litres a day in addition to secondary fluids in the diet.

 

Banking left to align with the airstrip at Leh

While we were in the process of exiting from Leh in 2011, a new hotel in Changspa area had been nearing its completion. Being built by Mr Wangchuk Kalon (one of the first serious tour operator and Snow Leopard sighting specialist of Ladakh), the hotel had been coming up nicely. As if out of that memory hangover or because of its location, I picked it up for the stay. Ladakh Residency, in fact, did live up to my expectations. More about it a bit later.

The 'welcome to Leh' announcement inside the aircraft informed us about outside temperature of 12 degrees. As I, like almost everyone else in the craft, pulled out a jacket from the handbag, I was reminded of my landings here during winters. At minus 15, the wind would hit the face like a tight slap from a dainty damsel (not that I have been given many such slaps by hypothetical dames) as one walked out of an ambient plane! Things, however, would be much better this time. 12 degrees, after all, mean an additional 27 degrees.....so, no slaps; just a touch of nip this time!

One good thing they do at Leh airport is to make educative announcements regarding health and related issues. I would recommend that all new visitors must hear those announcements carefully. Ladakhi pace of life is slow and the time that your baggage would take to hit the conveyor belt, would also enable you to go through a medical-related info board that is on display on a wall right next to the conveyor belt.

 

I was the first guest to check in that day. As I was to discover later, we were only six or seven guests in the hotel by the evening. A hotel with close to 30 rooms and suites, had all its staff in place. The team of waiters, housekeepers and chefs (most of them from Kangra in HP), had been flown in a few days back. All facilities were in operation (wi-fi, however, is only available in the lobby/dining hall areas.....work is in progress to make it accessible from all nooks and crannies). After the usual welcome, as I sat down in the lobby to check my whatsApp and mail, Mr Kalon walked in. We were meeting for the first time but I had heard about his entrepreneurship during initial days of Ladakh opening up and he, like most of Lehites, did remember Deepika who had 'forced' some very radical changes during her time with the town administration a few years back. Chatting with him over a cup of nun'chai, I realised the cost of operating such a business when commodities are not available and tourists are not many. Yes, April happens to be the month of loss making for such hotels that open up after hibernation. No wonder then, most of the cheaper hotels and guesthouses don't start operating at a full scale before first week of May.

Army had tried to open Zojila as early as 20th March 2016 but the western disturbances had ensured that the road was still closed on 25th of April. There was a desperation in the mind of Kalon and his daughter and it was easy to sense the same. They were cheerful, nonetheless. There was a time when only Grand Dragon Ladakh hotel had a lift. Now, many new properties have such facilities. I had requested for a room on the third floor. I had also requested for the room that faced my ever-favourite Stok Range! They had obliged me and a lift meant I did not have to exert first up on arrival at Leh.

The first thing I did, on entering my room, was to make use of this kettle. I warmed the water and drank a glass to start with.....

 

Based on my prior existential experience, I refrained from consuming coffee. Dairy whitener, in any case, causes bloating of the tummy and I chose the plain water to be safe. Time now to survey the immediate niche - the hotel room itself...

 

Room was well laid out and well ventilated.....yes, the hotel is centrally heated

 

A nice sit-out enabled one to soak in the Sun, ie, when notorious April winds were not blowing. Mornings and forenoons are usually quiet

 

Well-appointed washrooms have running hot water

 

Common areas are spacious, neat and well-maintained

 

View from the room (idea of cup and saucer is a copyright of RKBharat though!)....Stok Range is seen in the far distance with Stok Peak towards right quarter of the pic

 

A view of the lawn and sitting area below... they do organise bonfires here !

 

The immediate neighbourhood within the same building

 

Wind horses on an adjacent roof appeared to be emanating positive energies......Om Mani Padme Hume!

The biggest problem of arriving by air is the fact that one has to lie dogo for at least 24 or 36hrs. 48 hours would be highly desirable. With flights arriving in the morning, 48 hrs get completed in time for third day to begin. So, there I was - lying still on my bed; getting up in between just to have a glass of warm water every hour or so! With Augusta Westland crashlanding in Parliament, I passed time watching the live proceedings from two houses.....was ashamed and assured in the equal measures all that while.

About three hours later, patience began to run out (who said people become more patient after 45!) and as soon as an opportunity presented itself in form of a call for lunch, I was up in a jiffy. Down below, in the dining hall, I was the only guest dining and staff was busy readying the buffet as I walked in (obviously earlier than they had desired). I asked and came to know about myself being the sole guest for the mid-day meal. I told them to forget the buffet and serve me on the table - why waste so much of time and food for one person! Despite the shortages, they served me with rice, roti, dal (I turned a vegetarian five years back - only exemptions being fish and eggs; never close all the options absolutely- some one had said once!), cottage cheese, fresh veg and more importantly, a good spread of cucumber, tomatoes, carrot and lemon. Brings me to another point of advice here - all such produce is full of iron (greenhouse production as also fresh ones from lower Ladakh) and it upsets tummy of the uninitiated in no time. Non veg MUST NOT be eaten before the road opens and the reason for such a curt advice lies hidden in Leh Diary.I did exercise some restraint but honestly, I did indulge a bit!

Finished my lunch and instead of going back to the room, I walked up the final stairs that took me to the roof top. Another plus of the hotel is open access to its roof from where one can see far and wide.

 

Left edge of Stok Range can be seen through dry trees. A few days later, trees will become green and will make a screen that would be opaque to the view

 

Stok Range (Stok Kangri is above the water tank as seen in the right portion of the pic)

 

This local artwork is now part of all new constructions in Leh..... many old buildings, as it is, already have it.

 

Majestic Stok Kangri

 

The usual sight in April ..... new life begins to take shape; green grass and such flora are some of the things that one misses the most during autumn through winters through this time of the year

 

Symbols of faith help life sustain when elements get harsher than usual

 

Alignment of road to Khardungla is seen as a horizontal line, giving a false impression of a zero gradient road to a lay onlooker.

Came back to the room, slept for a while with eyes closing on the views of the Stok Range without me realising the curtains coming down. I could sit and watch that view for hours and the addiction is not new. During our two years long stay, I could never tire of looking at this range and as fellow readers would realise, it appeared a  number of times in that story of our stay in Leh.

Tashi, my friend and co-author of our book, Ladakh Simplified, dropped in to check on me. A round of nun'chai and coffee (me and he respectively), and we sat chatting. Soon, we were shifting between old days and the present day. I got some inputs about impact of 24hrsx 365 days electricity supply, Leh beautification plan, his rock-art explorations and such like issues. The inputs were both good and not so good. Electricity had ushered in a new phase of life in that part of Ladakh and that was a good news. Water supply, however, remains an issue during winters. Leh beautification project, sadly, had been lagging behind and had already breached a few deadlines. I would discover that for myself but that would be tomorrow.

Dinner was served in the room since they did not want their guests to get inconvenienced. It was pretty cold by now. I did not record the night time temperature but it appeared to be touching zero. Cold wind had been howling, adding to the wind chill factor!

Hit the sack and slept well except for a couple of times when I woke up thinking that I had stopped breathing......happens! Nothing major to report otherwise.

Continues!!

As some of friends here would remember, we lived two full years in Ladakh (Leh to be precise+local trips here and there........ details HERE) and have made numerous trips to that majestic land beyond the stay period. During winters of 2009-10, we had a historic snowfall on 10th of Nov 2009- so much so that the accumulated snow-turned-ice-turned-black ice were to remain intact, along roads and paths in Leh, till as late as April 2010. Needless to say that Zojila had got closed before mid November and could only open in end April  (early May actually) next year (2010, ie). Well, that had been unusual spell of snowing in that desolate land. The next year, however, we were back to routine where in Zojila had remained practically open till last day of 2010 and road opened again in May 2011. As mentioned in Leh Diary, when the road remains cut off till April and beyond, many logistical issues crop up.....stocks of dry rations and tinned food begin to run out by end February; highly doubtful quality of frozen foods and non-veg stuff also finishes by March end. The only saving grace remains locally produced (but high in iron content) vegetables,  some trickle supply of fresh stuff that army provides to civil administration and some supplies from lower Ladakh, notably Dah-Hanu belt where greenery and fertile season returns sooner than other parts of Ladakh.

It has been a few years since our last trip to the land we are in love with for long. A window of opportunity did open up this year but because of Czia's exams and Deepika's occupational business, only I could go. With some flexibility of dates available, I chose the last week of April - a moment in time when Leh is under max logistical stress. The ever increasing number of visitors that flock to Leh in March and April (a recent phenomenon), only adds to the stress.

25th Apr - I boarded the AI flight for Leh from Jammu. Just to update those who may like to know, Jammu-Leh connectivity (AI) is now twice a week - Sundays and Mondays- unlike only Mondays of yesteryears. I was expecting a few obvious changes since our departure from Leh in July-August 2011.....

   1.   With the arrival of electricity, comfort and related issues would have been resolved;

   2.   Pollution from generators would have come down but number of new vehicles would have added more, if not an equal amount, of carbon back into the clean air;

   3.   Deepika's dream project of turning Leh market into a visitor-friendly place, would have been materialised;

   4.   Some expansion would have happened or the town would be over-crowded by now;

    5.   The town must be under increased stress now...... and the list went on.

Security guys at Jammu airport showed a special interest in my hand baggage. Tomatoes, as per my friends in Leh, were not available and whatever was available, had been selling at a price in the excess of Rs 200 per Kg. As a logical fall out of that, my hand bag had five Kgs of tomatoes (@15 per Kg), some green chilies and fresh coriander......and no wonder then that security guys had seen (through x-rays) some unexploded hand grenades, safety pins and wires!

As the aircraft ran West on the runway and then banked right to head North/NE, the vistas opened up like magic.......a quick realisation of the fact that weather at Leh would be 180 degrees opposite that of a warm one at Jammu. Jammu was 31 degrees at the time of boarding!

Beginning of a change in the landscape

As far as eyes could see

Before I waste your time in expectation of a travel log, lemme say that I was on a work-related trip and having had the privilege of travelling to all nooks and corners of Ladakh Province during earlier visits as also because of paucity of time during the present visit, I had no plans to venture outside the town during my week long stay at Leh. It will disappoint you if you are aiming for reading a typical travelogue; it would, however, be of certainly of some value to those who understand Leh well.

Yes, despite all the uneventful landings (as many by road as by air) in the past, I had started on Dimox 250mg two days prior to my boarding the flight. Twice a day, it is only useful if we increase water intake a bit....neither 05 litres a day nor 01 litre a day are the options - I would pick around three litres a day in addition to secondary fluids in the diet.

 

Banking left to align with the airstrip at Leh

While we were in the process of exiting from Leh in 2011, a new hotel in Changspa area had been nearing its completion. Being built by Mr Wangchuk Kalon (one of the first serious tour operator and Snow Leopard sighting specialist of Ladakh), the hotel had been coming up nicely. As if out of that memory hangover or because of its location, I picked it up for the stay. Ladakh Residency, in fact, did live up to my expectations. More about it a bit later.

The 'welcome to Leh' announcement inside the aircraft informed us about outside temperature of 12 degrees. As I, like almost everyone else in the craft, pulled out a jacket from the handbag, I was reminded of my landings here during winters. At minus 15, the wind would hit the face like a tight slap from a dainty damsel (not that I have been given many such slaps by hypothetical dames) as one walked out of an ambient plane! Things, however, would be much better this time. 12 degrees, after all, mean an additional 27 degrees.....so, no slaps; just a touch of nip this time!

One good thing they do at Leh airport is to make educative announcements regarding health and related issues. I would recommend that all new visitors must hear those announcements carefully. Ladakhi pace of life is slow and the time that your baggage would take to hit the conveyor belt, would also enable you to go through a medical-related info board that is on display on a wall right next to the conveyor belt.

 

I was the first guest to check in that day. As I was to discover later, we were only six or seven guests in the hotel by the evening. A hotel with close to 30 rooms and suites, had all its staff in place. The team of waiters, housekeepers and chefs (most of them from Kangra in HP), had been flown in a few days back. All facilities were in operation (wi-fi, however, is only available in the lobby/dining hall areas.....work is in progress to make it accessible from all nooks and crannies). After the usual welcome, as I sat down in the lobby to check my whatsApp and mail, Mr Kalon walked in. We were meeting for the first time but I had heard about his entrepreneurship during initial days of Ladakh opening up and he, like most of Lehites, did remember Deepika who had 'forced' some very radical changes during her time with the town administration a few years back. Chatting with him over a cup of nun'chai, I realised the cost of operating such a business when commodities are not available and tourists are not many. Yes, April happens to be the month of loss making for such hotels that open up after hibernation. No wonder then, most of the cheaper hotels and guesthouses don't start operating at a full scale before first week of May.

Army had tried to open Zojila as early as 20th March 2016 but the western disturbances had ensured that the road was still closed on 25th of April. There was a desperation in the mind of Kalon and his daughter and it was easy to sense the same. They were cheerful, nonetheless. There was a time when only Grand Dragon Ladakh hotel had a lift. Now, many new properties have such facilities. I had requested for a room on the third floor. I had also requested for the room that faced my ever-favourite Stok Range! They had obliged me and a lift meant I did not have to exert first up on arrival at Leh.

The first thing I did, on entering my room, was to make use of this kettle. I warmed the water and drank a glass to start with.....

 

Based on my prior existential experience, I refrained from consuming coffee. Dairy whitener, in any case, causes bloating of the tummy and I chose the plain water to be safe. Time now to survey the immediate niche - the hotel room itself...

 

Room was well laid out and well ventilated.....yes, the hotel is centrally heated

 

A nice sit-out enabled one to soak in the Sun, ie, when notorious April winds were not blowing. Mornings and forenoons are usually quiet

 

Well-appointed washrooms have running hot water

 

Common areas are spacious, neat and well-maintained

 

View from the room (idea of cup and saucer is a copyright of RKBharat though!)....Stok Range is seen in the far distance with Stok Peak towards right quarter of the pic

 

A view of the lawn and sitting area below... they do organise bonfires here !

 

The immediate neighbourhood within the same building

 

Wind horses on an adjacent roof appeared to be emanating positive energies......Om Mani Padme Hume!

The biggest problem of arriving by air is the fact that one has to lie dogo for at least 24 or 36hrs. 48 hours would be highly desirable. With flights arriving in the morning, 48 hrs get completed in time for third day to begin. So, there I was - lying still on my bed; getting up in between just to have a glass of warm water every hour or so! With Augusta Westland crashlanding in Parliament, I passed time watching the live proceedings from two houses.....was ashamed and assured in the equal measures all that while.

About three hours later, patience began to run out (who said people become more patient after 45!) and as soon as an opportunity presented itself in form of a call for lunch, I was up in a jiffy. Down below, in the dining hall, I was the only guest dining and staff was busy readying the buffet as I walked in (obviously earlier than they had desired). I asked and came to know about myself being the sole guest for the mid-day meal. I told them to forget the buffet and serve me on the table - why waste so much of time and food for one person! Despite the shortages, they served me with rice, roti, dal (I turned a vegetarian five years back - only exemptions being fish and eggs; never close all the options absolutely- some one had said once!), cottage cheese, fresh veg and more importantly, a good spread of cucumber, tomatoes, carrot and lemon. Brings me to another point of advice here - all such produce is full of iron (greenhouse production as also fresh ones from lower Ladakh) and it upsets tummy of the uninitiated in no time. Non veg MUST NOT be eaten before the road opens and the reason for such a curt advice lies hidden in Leh Diary.I did exercise some restraint but honestly, I did indulge a bit!

Finished my lunch and instead of going back to the room, I walked up the final stairs that took me to the roof top. Another plus of the hotel is open access to its roof from where one can see far and wide.

 

Left edge of Stok Range can be seen through dry trees. A few days later, trees will become green and will make a screen that would be opaque to the view

 

Stok Range (Stok Kangri is above the water tank as seen in the right portion of the pic)

 

This local artwork is now part of all new constructions in Leh..... many old buildings, as it is, already have it.

 

Majestic Stok Kangri

 

The usual sight in April ..... new life begins to take shape; green grass and such flora are some of the things that one misses the most during autumn through winters through this time of the year

 

Symbols of faith help life sustain when elements get harsher than usual

 

Alignment of road to Khardungla is seen as a horizontal line, giving a false impression of a zero gradient road to a lay onlooker.

Came back to the room, slept for a while with eyes closing on the views of the Stok Range without me realising the curtains coming down. I could sit and watch that view for hours and the addiction is not new. During our two years long stay, I could never tire of looking at this range and as fellow readers would realise, it appeared a  number of times in that story of our stay in Leh.

Tashi, my friend and co-author of our book, Ladakh Simplified, dropped in to check on me. A round of nun'chai and coffee (me and he respectively), and we sat chatting. Soon, we were shifting between old days and the present day. I got some inputs about impact of 24hrsx 365 days electricity supply, Leh beautification plan, his rock-art explorations and such like issues. The inputs were both good and not so good. Electricity had ushered in a new phase of life in that part of Ladakh and that was a good news. Water supply, however, remains an issue during winters. Leh beautification project, sadly, had been lagging behind and had already breached a few deadlines. I would discover that for myself but that would be tomorrow.

Dinner was served in the room since they did not want their guests to get inconvenienced. It was pretty cold by now. I did not record the night time temperature but it appeared to be touching zero. Cold wind had been howling, adding to the wind chill factor!

Hit the sack and slept well except for a couple of times when I woke up thinking that I had stopped breathing......happens! Nothing major to report otherwise.

Continues!!