The Trails of Ladakh - Day 4
Wednesday 13th, Leh to Yangthang campsite (12,100 ft / 3,683m)
What a day! We drive from the hotel to a spot just outside Leh called Phey. Here we meet the team who kit us out with wet suits, life vests and helmets. They then brief us for the 14 mile (24 kilometre) water rafting trip down the Indus River.
This is the first time any of us has done this and it’s an absolute blast. Although the river is fairly benign at this time of year, the water is still cold. We have a pilot at the back of the boat who steers with 2 big oars, but we are also put to work with paddles following his instructions. We pass through towering mountains either side of the river. It really is difficult to take in the scale of things. There are small rapids along the way which smash into our raft and soak us all. The wet suits kept out some of the water but not all of it.
After around four hours we arrive at our meeting point in Nimm. We change into warm dry clothes and eat a wonderful lunch from the back of the four wheel drive vehicles that we are travelling in. There's nothing quite like hot soup and curry and rice after an arduous but fun morning. The food tastes amazing, no doubt heightened by the adrenaline rush of rafting down the Indus River!
After lunch we drive to our first campsite which is just outside the village of Yangthang. The drive is just over an hour through some spectacular scenery and scary roads. There are steep drops and crazy bends so any mistake would likely be fatal.
When we arrive our tents have been erected and there’s also a dining tent which where we’ll eat our meals. Everything is so well organised and the team that drives our heavy bags ahead of us do everything with a great big smile on their face.
After we sort our kit out we have tea and cake and then take a stroll to see the village. It’s like walking back in time and it seems medieval. There are around 50 people who live here and they live off the land. They eat what they grow and stockpile for the harsh winter because Yangthang is usually cut off for at least six months of the year.
In recent times there has been an increase in tourism and many homes now take in paying guests. This is called ‘Home Stay’ and the locals have been trained to make sure they can cater for guests. This means making sure guest privacy is respected and also that they are given food that will not make them ill. The people of Ladakh have a far stronger constitution than westerners.
There is also an emphasis on responsible tourism. This means making sure that traditional ways of life are preserved rather than destroyed by too many visitors. I hope this never happens because experiencing the way these people live is humbling.
We eat dinner at 7 and the food is simple and excellent. Soup, Rice, Dahl, Cauliflower and Potato followed by tea.
It gets dark early here and at 7pm it’s pitch black. There’s no light polution and I jiust lie on my back and stare up at the incredible stars above me. We are all in our tents by 8.30 where we read by torch light for a short time before we fall asleep, happy and contended.
#travel #ladakh #india #himalayas #trekking