Leh is a capital of Ladakh, spread out in the valley, surrounded by high snow peaked mountains. Since we came here, the peaks grow progressively whiter and more brilliant. There are ruins of the King's palace and an ancient Tsemo Gompa (monastery) above it, dominating the town from above.
Outside a handful of main roads, lined up with exorbitant for a such a small place
number of Kashmiri and Ladakhi shops,selling carpets, jewelry, traditional cloths etc, travel agencies, arranging mountain trekking and trips to nearby monasteries; and Internet locations, which are very slow, with the connection often being rather mercy... so, outside of all these, they are small barley and potato fields, narrow winding streets, stone walls and myriads of cold mountain streams gurgling along.
Ladakhis have developed an amazing irrigation system, which very efficiently collects mounatin water and brings it to the otherwise dry fields.
We stay at a little village called Chungspa, about 15 min walk from Leh. Our guest house called Shanti has its own little stream just outside the front door, lovely garden and all around mountain views.
Leh along with Dharamsala (and Himachal Pradesh state) has introduced many great environmental policies, e.g. banning the use of plastic bags ( favourite amongst local cows). These policies however are not sufficient to protect this area from rapidly encroaching civilization. The cold mountain streams for example are used for laundry and collect all sort of garbage. Not long ago one could safely drink from them....
Since 1974, when the roads connected this remote area to the mainland India, the flood of tourists, Indian businesses and various modern developers have been threatening the environment and culture. As Helen Norberg-Hodge described in her book (and a movie); "Ladakh, the ancient futures!", Ladakhi culture was unprepared to meet these modern developers. One blatant example would be the use of former
DDT containers as salt shakers, or baking on asbestos stoves...
Worse then that, within a short period of time,a traditional way of life began to die..
Encounters with market economy and subsidized agriculture in India made local agricultural production nearly useless and made local people dependant on the larger market economy. Encounters with tourists who appear "rich" and "superior"
to Ladakhis, as well as images of Hollywood and Bollywood, have all contributed to Ladakhis beginning to feel ashamed of their culture. Helen Norberg-Hodge (honored with Nobel price for her efforts in Ladakh) has focused on mitigating these unfortunate effects of "modernization", helping Ldakhis see the West more realistically, while appreciating the wealth of their own unique culture as they enter
market economy.
At 3300meters, the air in Leh is very thin, so even after our shortage of breath and headaches were gone after a few days here, we are still gasping for extra breath here and there. The air is also very dry, cracking our lips, heals, drying our skin, despite all the lubricants we put on.
We are at the end of the tourist season, which makes this place much quieter.
The colours are stunning: golden barley fields, yellowing trees, deep blue and constantly sunny skies, white mountain peaks, yellow, blue, black color of mountains, depending on the way the sun lights them up.
After 9 days of strenuous trekking through the mountain villages and passes, we spend our days more quietly, having long breakfasts, reading and journaling, meditating, doing yoga...
Dolkar and Tsering are our hosts at Shanti guest house. Tsering was mostly away guiding trekkers (the most common occupation amongst men in Ladkh). Dolkar is always in the kitchen-cooking, knitting, preparing something, or by the stream, doing laundry. May be because of her limited English, or because of the Ladakhi language itself, she always sings to us as: Aye, Jule-Jule, ju-ju-ju-ju-ju, , dona-le-dona-le, hah-ha-ha-ha(she loughs)
Jule is "hello, thank you, good buy, please-a good word to know!). Dona-le=eat please, she says when she brings us steaming Cambir, chewy Ladakhi bread,
butter and yummy local apricot jam.
Depending on the weather we may have breakfast either in the garden or in the traditional Ladakhi kitchen room. In the garden we are amidst humongous marigolds, lit like lanterns by the bright morning sun, and some red and yellow flowers which I cannot identify..I marvel at the contrasts of gold and red in the garden,
blue of the sky and brilliant white atop the mountains..all in one picture (the picture is coming..)
In the "kitchen" we sit cross-legged at colourful and low Ladakhi tables, placed around the room: often there are some other tourists with whom we converse, but these days we are more likely to be alone here...
I have asked Dolkar to show us how she makes Cambir, the bread. She lets us into her small working kitchen where she sits on the floor by a small gas stove.
She makes small patties our of the whole grain wheat dour she prepared the night before, and places them onto the hot flat stone on the stove. When the patty is baked to her satisfaction, she holds it over the open flame until its surface turn brown and the bread starts to puff like some round blow fish.
When she serves these puffed round globes in the morning and we break them apart, the warm steamy warmth is released into our cold hands..
yes, the nights and mornings are rather cold (+5-+8 centigrades) and we do not anywhere without our yak wool shawls....
see pictures of Leh, Markha Valley trek and monasteries at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/69781927@N00/sets/72157602394853100/detail/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/69781927@N00/sets/72157602611284180/detail/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/69781927@N00/sets/72157602392633176/detail/
