The Trails of Ladakh - Day 5
Thursday 14th, Yangthang to Ullay (4 miles / 6 kilometres)
This is really the start of the trek after the acclimatisation process. Yangthang is 12,100 feet (3,683 metres) above sea level and we are heading for Ullay which is at just over 14,000 feet (4,300 metres) above sea level. It may be only another 2,000 feet (600 metres) of altitude, but it does make a difference. We've experienced headaches and slight lethargy but this will wear off.
One of the guides brings us black tea and a bowl of hot water to our tent at 6.30am with a cheery ‘good morning and a great big smile - what a way to start the day!
After a quick splash of water on the face we are ready for breakfast at 7am. There’s porridge, cereal, toast and eggs plus tea or coffee. We are all packed and ready to go by 8.30am.
The weather this morning is chilly and overcast which is ideal to cope with the gentle pace being set by our leader Sonam. After an hour or so the weather breaks, the sun comes out and the temperature starts to rise to what seems like a pleasant 20 degrees. The walk does have some steep parts but everyone copes well and we are all in great spirits.
We arrive at Ullay around midday to discover that we are staying in a guest house instead of tents. There’s been a new section built onto one of the houses in this tiny village. It’s more a collection of a few homesteads really and not a village as you’d understand it in the U.K.
The government and some tourist companies are helping Ladakhis to build accommodation in the traditional style, albeit with some western comforts. This is part of the Homestay programme which is designed to cater for toursim and provide a sustainable source of income to keep these villages alive.
At the guest house, there’s a small group of Buddhist monks carrying out a ceremony to bless the house and drive away restless spirits. Their chanting and drumming is mesemric and when they come out they are full of smiles, as is everyone we meet.
Lunch is served in the upstairs of this typical Ladakhi home and it is wonderful! We all sit crossed legged on a raised window ledge covered with carpets that run the length of the room. This is a real treat and the food is simple but excellent, vegetable soup followed by bindi baji (ocra) peas and mushroom and chapati. Desert is weak black tea and half an apple.
The house owner and her daughter eat with us and the guides and it’s so interesting seeing the interaction between them. We obviously couldn't understand a word they were saying but there were smiles all around.
After lunch we have a rest and at 2pm set off on a trek to a point around 400 feet (120 metres) above the village. The views to the village and beyond are again spectacular. I have to pinch myself because it's hard to believe we are actually here looking out on the Himalayas!
We met a local farmer who has an amazing look. Such weather beaten features and only 2 teeth in the bottom of his mouth and 3 in the top and 1 of those was broken.
We descend back to the guest house through a stream, hoping from rock to rock which is great fun. Then at 5 we have Chai served milky and sweet and although I never take sugar in tea it seems different here as though my body needs it.
As I'm laying on the bed writing this, a herd of cows and a yak have just strolled past my window. It's normal here but to us it's just amazing.
The diet here is mainly vegetarian although they do occassionally eat dairy products and eggs. Because it's difficult to get vegetables in the winter they often eat meat. This is interesting because the people here are mainly Buddhists and their religion forbids killing animals. But pragmatism comes into play otherwise they would probably starve because there are no supermarkets to pop into! They must grow the food they need to eat and in winter although they live off the crops they've stored, these sometimes don't last throughout winter. So they generally kill the oldest and biggest animal rather than killing many small animals because this will feed several families.
People here really seem to just exist. They work the land to get the food they need to work the land. Their very existence depends on their ability to grow the food they need to survive. Ullay is pretty remote and it has only had electricity since 2015. Other than one government provided satellite phone, there is no other means of communicating with the outside world.
Remarkably, some homes do have TV thanks to a satellite dish and cheap or free cable channels. In theory this means they could also connect to the internet. But were are told that many just don’t see the point.
We end the day with a dinner of chips, pasta and hot fruit cocktail! Hardly a traditional Ladakhi dish, but the carbs are welcome and probably needed.
#travel #ladakh #india #himalayas #trekking