Sunday 17th, Temisgam to Skinyang (8 miles / 13 kilometres)

Today’s trek is really tough. There are many climbs and our group streches out, so the guides slow the pace. We eat lunch on the trek and everyone is determined and focussed on getting to camp.

We arrive at the campsite around 3pm and the first thing I do is to splash around in a cold stream, which feels so good! At 4pm we have tea and lots of cake which is so welcome as we all felt the need for a sugar rush.

This is a really quiet place and there’s nothing much to see around this village so we just stroll, relax and take it easy until dinner time. We meet some of the local children who are playing frisbee with the top of a paint pot. They seem to be genuinely bewildered by us although I manage to get a few smiles and chuckles out of them. Not sure what the donkey behind us made of it all though!

We also have our first taste of local drink called Chhaang which is brewed with barley or rice. It’s said to be the best remedy to ward off the severe cold of the mountains and reputedly has many healing properties for conditions like the common cold, fevers, allergic rhinitis, and alcoholism among others. Chhaang can be drunk hot or cold, much like Japanese sake. It's slighty fizzy, usually comes with a bit of “texture” (that is, floating remnants of rice or grain), and can be both sweet and tart in taste. It was an experience I probably would not want to repeat though!

#travel #ladakh #india #himalayas #trekking