Leh | Blue Lapis Road

DAY 7: LEH AIRPORT TO RED FORT, Delhi, India

After almost a week of Tibetan monasteries and arid Himalayan highlands, our brief Indian journey was almost coming to an end, and it was time to say goodbye to Lakadh. It was a fine morning. Tashi came to pick us up at around 6am. It was only a short ride from Ladakh Greens Hotel to Leh’s Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport. At about 3200m above sea level, the airport is India’s highest commercial airport. We waved goodbye to Tashi and entered the small highland airport. It was chaotic at the Leh Airport. The x-ray machine broke down for a bit and there were two long queues, one for men and the other women, at the security check. After a bit of the hassle, at last we were off in the Ladakhi sky. From above, Leh and its surrounding desert landscape looked spectacular. Our plane flew south, passed over the mountains south of Leh in Jammu and Kashmir and Northern Himachal Pradesh. After about 1.5 hour, we returned to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport once more.

We stored our big backpacks at the airport, and took the airport express train out to the city. From the airport the train took about half an hour to reach New Delhi. At New Delhi, we switched to the metro and rode for two more stops until we reached the stop of Chandni Chowk. Famous for its centuries-old business as Old Delhi’s high street, Chandni Chowk is close to Red Fort, the former residence of the Mughal royalty from the 17th to 19th century. After exiting the metro station, we were immediately overwhelmed by the people, colours, odour and sounds of the street in Old Delhi. It was awfully hot at about 40 degrees, and extremely crowded. We followed a crowd of people exiting the station, tried to find our way to the Red Fort, but were soon followed by two bicycle ricksaw drivers. We asked the first driver going to the Red Fort. He tried to trick us by saying 10. We asked him once more before we got on whether he meant rupees or not. He then clarified it was 10 USD. We decided to ignore him and continued to find our way. The second driver, a young man in his early twenties, followed us and tried to convince us to get on his ricksaw by saying it was very dangerous in Old Delhi. We kept on walking aimlessly on the street thinking he would eventually give up, but he didn’t. On the hot and crowded street of Old Delhi, he followed us for over 20 minutes. At the end, we didn’t bother to find where we actually were, and jumped onto an empty tuk-tuk. The tuk-tuk driver was more than happy to take us to the Red Fort. After some sweat we finally reached the iconic Lahori Gate of the mighty Red Fort.

We had a morning flight back to Delhi. By the time we arrived at the airport, there was a long queue outside of the airport for security check.

At about 3200m above sea level, the airport is India’s highest commercial airport.

A Jet Airway plane landed on the runway. It reminds us of our landing one week ago.

View from the plane to down below.

Our plane flew south, passed over the mountains south of Leh in Jammu and Kashmir and Northern Himachal Pradesh.

From above, Leh and its surrounding desert landscape looked spectacular.

Spectacular view over the mountain view from the plane.

It was over 40 degree Celsius outside. We were overwhelmed by the heat and the crowd once we stepped out of the metro station of Chandni Chowk. Without a proper map, We found ourselves disorientated in this old city quarter. It was a great relief to have found a reliable tuk-tuk to take us to our first destination, the Red Fort. Below are some snapshots that we took along the way to the Red Fort.

After some sweat we finally reached the iconic Lahori Gate of the mighty Red Fort.

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Other posts on 2016 Ladkadh & Delhi:
Introduction – LADAKH – The Land of High Passes, India
Day 1.1 – ENROUTE TO LEH, Ladakh
Day 1.2 – WALK TO MAIN BAZAAR, Leh, Ladakh
Day 1.3 – LEH PALACE, Leh, Ladakh
Day 1.4 – HOTEL LADAKH GREENS, Leh, Ladakh
Day 2.1 – NAMGYAL TSEMO GOMPA, Leh, Ladakh
Day 2.2 – LALA’S CAFE AND TIBETAN CUISINE, Leh, Ladakh
Day 2.3 – SPITUK GOMPA, Leh, Ladakh
Day 3.1 – MONASTERIES OF THE INDUS VALLEY DAY ONE, Ladakh (with map)
Day 3.2 – THIKSEY GOMPA, Indus Valley, Ladakh
Day 3.3 – CHEMREY & TAKTHOK GOMPA, Indus Valley, Ladakh
Day 3.4 – HEMIS & STAKNA GOMPA, Indus Valley, Ladakh
Day 3.5 – MATHO GOMPA & SHEY PALACE, Indus Valley, Ladakh
Day 4.1 – ON THE ROAD WEST OF LEH, Indus Valley, Ladakh
Day 4.2 – LAMAYURU GOMPA, Indus Valley, Ladakh
Day 4.3 – ALCHI & LIKIR GOMPA, Indus Valley, Ladakh
Day 4.4 – FORT ROAD IN THE EVENING, Leh, Ladakh
Day 5.1 – SHORT HIKE NEAR PHYANG, Ladakh
Day 5.2 – PHYANG VILLAGE, Ladakh
Day 5.3 – NOMADIC WOOLLEN MILLS & BON APPETIT, Leh, Ladakh
Day 6.1 – ZINGCHEN GORGE, Ladakh
Day 6.2 – SHANTI STUPA, Leh, Ladakh
Day 7.1 – LEH AIRPORT TO RED FORT, Delhi
Day 7.2 – RED FORT, Delhi
Day 7.3 – JAMA MASJID, Delhi
Day 7.4 – FAREWELL OLD DELHI, Delhi
Day 7.5 – UNITED COFFEE HOUSE, New Delhi

October 21, 2016 | Categories: Delhi, India, India: Ladakh and Delhi 2016, Leh | Tags: airport, Delhi, flight, India, Ladakh, Leh | 2 Comments

DAY 6: SHANTI STUPA, Leh, Ladakh, India

We told Tashi to dropped us off at the town centre of Leh where we mailed out a pile of postcards to families and friends. Then we decided to spend the last bit of our last day in Ladakh at a high point. We took a taxi up to Shanti Stupa, one of the most popular lookout over Leh. Built by Japanese Buddhists as part of the Peace Pagoda Mission in 1991 and enshrined by the 14th Dalai Lama, Shanti Stupa remains an important monument to promote world peace. Atop a mountain over Leh, Shanti Stupa is also a great spot to enjoy the nearby scenery, and is particularly popular around the time of sunrise or sunset.

We looped around the monument once. Then we stopped by the railing, took out our tripod and did a time-lapse video of Leh under the changing afternoon light. The stupa was popular among local visitors, offering us plenty of people watching while we patiently waited for the camera for over an hour. Standing under the perfectly blue sky over Leh, we witnessed the shadow of the mountain slowly blanketed over the city, green poplar trees row by row disappeared in the darkness, and distant mountains turned from golden to earth brown and then to blueish grey. We silently say goodbye to the ancient town of Leh, to the mighty Stok Kangri Mountain at the horizon, to the monastic spirit of Ladakh, and to the boundless arid mountains of Northern India. An early morning flight the next day would take us back to the bustling Indian capital Delhi, where we would have another day of exploration before flying home.

The Shanti Stupa under the warm afternoon sun. Most visitors preferred to stay in the shade.

The Stok Mountain Range at a distance.

The view of Leh was dominated by the poplar trees.

The shadow of the mountain gradually expanded over the town.

The back of Leh Palace was fully swamped in the afternoon sun.

The arid landscape around Leh looked drier than ever under the afternoon sun.

The steps leading down from Shanti Stupa to Changspa Road into the town centre.

The sun almost disappeared behind the mountain and Shanti Stupa.

Visitors were still enjoying the late afternoon scenery of the Indus Valley and Stok Mountains despite evening was gradually creeping in.

Locals enjoying the view of Leh, with the white washed walls of Namgyal Tsemo Gompa stood out at the background.

Shanti Stupa was completely in shade by the time we were done with the time-lapse photography.

We circled the stupa for a second time before we left.

By the time we left, much of Leh was blanketed in mountain’s shadow.

We slowly walked down the steps to the town below.

At the end of the stepped path, Changspa Road would lead us back to the centre of Leh, where we would have our last meal of Tibetan cuisine for the trip.

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October 19, 2016 | Categories: India, India: Ladakh and Delhi 2016, Ladakh, Leh | Tags: Buddhism, Buddhist, India, Ladakh, Leh, lookout, monument, Shanti, stupa | Leave a comment

DAY 5: SHORT HIKE NEAR PHYANG, Ladakh, India

Originally our last two full days in Ladakh was planned for a two-day tour to the Nubra Valley on the opposite side of Khardung La Pass, one of the world’s highest pass that can be reached by car at 5,359m. Unfortunately, in the evening before our departure, we were told by the manager of Ladakh Greens Hotel that out trip to the Nubra was no longer possible. In order to visit the region near the disputed border between India and China, all travelers are required to apply for a permit. Since we were born in Hong Kong, our application was rejected by the local authorities. As a result, we had no choice but to figure something else to do for the two days. The hotel manager made a few suggested alternatives, and we picked two short hikes near Leh. Trekking is big in Ladakh but we didn’t have enough time to do a decent trek. Day hikes around Leh at least gave us a brief taste of hiking in Ladakh.

In the morning, Tashi picked us up at the hotel and drove us to Phyang, a village about 15km west of Leh. The hotel manager suggested us to start our hike at a village called Dokla, but Tashi had trouble finding the way. Instead he drove us further uphill from Phyang and stopped at a village where a few houses stood and a series of farming terraces were constructed overlooking the Stok Mountain Range. Leaving Tashi behind, we get off the car, walked through a gateway of prayer flags, and headed up a small path towards the mountains behind Phyang. We were told that the path would ultimately reach Nubra Valley in a few days’ time, where we were denied access to in the first place. We hiked past a white stupa and followed a man-made irrigation channel uphill until we saw the clear running water of a mountain stream of melted water from mountain glaciers. On a rocky mount dotted with wild flowers we sat down and had some quick snacks that the hotel chef prepared for us. Across from where we sat a few tiny singing birds flew around piles of small pebbles. After a brief stop we continued to walk uphill in the highlands near Phyang until we saw a small herd of grazing cattle from a distance upstream.

On our way back to Phyang we once again passed by the point where stream water was diverted for the irrigation system downstream. Before reaching Tashi’s car, we passed by the white stupa once again. A few people were putting fresh white paint on the stupa. We exchanged some smiles and greetings with the friendly locals before heading back to Tashi’s car. After a fine morning of hiking, Tashi suggested us to take a little break in the car while he drove us downhill to Phyang, where we could walk around the village and visit Phyang Gompa. We gladly took his suggestion.

A tiny village uphill from Phyang where we started our hike. The majestic Stok Kangri and the Stok Range offered a magnificent backdrop.

Gateway of prayer flags marked the exit of the village.

Many farming fields in the area were enclosed with low stone walls.

The white stupa overlooking the village.

The Stok Range in a distance.

Local agriculture is well organized by stone walls and irrigation channels.

On the rocky mount where we had a quick snack time.

Wild highland flowers stay low near the ground to avoid strong wind.

We kept walking uphill to follow the stream.

The river valley continued winding through the mountains uphill.

We reached a point where stream water was diverted into a small channel that fed the irrigation system downhill.

Further uphill we saw a small herd of grazing cattle.

Pile of stones left by perhaps hikers or local shepherd.

Strange earth formation beyond the stone walls

Cheerful locals doing maintenance work at the white stupa.

Once again we passed by the gateway of prayer flags on our return.

Close up of a prayer flag.

On a low wall someone left a book of local text.

Not all farmlands were planted with crops, but for the ones that had they looked healthy and green despite the arid climate.

Tashi drove us downhill to Phyang and dropped us off at a bridge. We planned to wander around the village and met Tashi at the Phyang Gompa.

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October 5, 2016 | Categories: India, India: Ladakh and Delhi 2016, Ladakh | Tags: Dokla, farm, hike, India, Kangri, Leh, mountains, Phyang, Stok, Tibetan, Trail | Leave a comment

DAY 4: FORT ROAD IN THE EVENING, Leh, Ladakh, India

Fort Road and Changspa Road are the two main thoroughfares in Central Leh where travelers can easily find places of accommodations, restaurants and souvenir shops. For years, Changspa has long been the hub for backpackers, hippy visitors and motorcyclists. Fort Road, on the other hand, is a busy dusty road lined with newly built hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops. During our stay in Leh, Fort Road was the only access route to the city centre from our hotel. After a long day monastery visit, we would pick a restaurant at Fort Road to end the day. Tibetan Kitchen was the restaurant that we returned to after a pleasant lunch experience. At the restaurant, we had a chance to taste the complex local cuisine, which has diverse influences from Tibet, different regions of India, and even China. The best thing of all was to wash down the dishes with sips of refreshing apple juice produced from the orchards in Kashmir.

After two days of monastery hopping, we were supposed to go for a two-day trip to the Nubra Valley over the Khardung La Pass (5600m) at the other side from Leh. However, as we returned to Ladakh Greens Hotel after the long day of Lamayuru, Alchi and Likir then we realized that we had to change our travel plan at the last minute.

A meal of Tibetan dishes at Tibetan Kitchen.

A bottle of apple juice made with Kashmir apples.

The dusty Fort Road with Namgyal Tsemo Gompa on the hills at the background.

Souvenir shops along Fort Road.

Motorcycles and SUV were commonly seen on the dusty Fort Road.

Shops opened till late along Fort Road.

A few open spaces along Fort Road were used as market for Tibetan handicrafts.

Every night we stayed in Leh, we had to walk for 20 minutes on the bumpy Fort Road, including a section without any street lamps.

Beyond the last few souvenir shops, Fort Road would be in complete darkness unless a SUV or motorcycle drove by with their lights on.

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September 27, 2016 | Categories: India, India: Ladakh and Delhi 2016, Ladakh, Leh | Tags: Fort Road, India, Ladakh, Leh | Leave a comment

DAY 4: ALCHI & LIKIR GOMPA, Indus Valley, Ladakh, India

We had high expectations for Alchi Gompa, which has long been famous for its wall paintings dated back to the 12th century. It was already past noontime when we were done with Lamayuru. By the time we reached our next destination Alchi, we couldn’t wait to sit down at the outdoor restaurant of Zimskhang Holiday Home for a quick bite. Under the shades of trees and fabric canopies, Tachi and we had a relaxing lunch of local dishes. After the meal, we entered a winding passageway and through a lane full of souvenir stalls until reaching the monastery compound. A number of centuries-old stupas decorated with colourful prayer flags flanked the monastery forecourt. There were three ancient shrines that visitors could enter and admire the wall paintings, along with the huge statues of Buddha. It was not allowed to take photographs inside the shrines. We could only admire the richly decorated halls while we were there. The Buddhist statues and interior architectural details dated back to almost a thousand years were amazing. However, many of the wall paintings were either darken over the years or were partially ruined by brutal restorations painted over the originals. There wasn’t as much to see at Alchi as we imagined before our visit. After visits of the three halls among the crowds of local tourists we decided to move on to Likir Gompa.

Situated at an relatively isolated about 10km away from the Leh-Srinigar Highway, Likir Gompa is a beautiful Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Gelug sect founded in the 11th century. As we approach the monastery, we could see the 23m golden statue of Maitreya Buddha (Buddha of Future) from a distance. Tashi didn’t join us for our tour of the monastery as he wanted to wash the car. On our own, we first walked to the platform where the 23m Maitreya Buddha sat. Opposite from the golden plated statue stood a lama school complex. Several young lamas were playing and chasing each other at the school courtyard. Their laughter certainly lifted our spirit a little in the grey and cool afternoon. Inside Likir Gompa, we visited two assembly halls: an older hall with rolls of seating flanked by wall shelving full of ancient texts and a newer hall decorated with glossy wall thangka depicting Mahakala (a fierce looking protector deity) in various gestures. We took our time to admire the wall paintings and walk around the monastery from its rooftop to exterior platforms. By the time we returned to the entrance plaza, Tachi was done cleaning the car and ready for our return journey to Leh.

The winding passage that led into Alchi Monastery.

The twin trees marked the location of the original spot where Lama Rinchen Zangpo put his walking stick down and founded the monastery in the 10th century, so as the legend said.

Old timber entrance structure of Alchi’s Sumtseg (three storey building) survived to the present day.

The ornate woodwork of the columns and the interior decorations at Alchi were created by Kashmir artists.

Details of the entrance woodwork.

Entrance into one of the two shrines at a garden near the Dukhang of Alchi.

The oldest stupas (chorten) at Alchi dated back as far as the 13th century.

A mother and daughter at a prayer wheel at the entrance of Alchi.

We arrived at Likir in late afternoon.

The Buddhist school complex across from the statue of Maitreya Buddha.

The 23m Maitreya Buddha could be seen from far away.

Entrance to one of the two main assembly hall at Likir.

Inside the assembly hall, yellow ropes of each lama were folded neatly on the rows of seating.

Hundreds of ancient Buddhist texts were stored in glass cabinets against the wall of the assembly hall.

Detail of an old wall painting.

Detail of a new and glossy Mahakala wall painting at the other assembly hall.

Photo of Likir Gompa from distance.

The lush green Indus River Valley below Likir.

The main courtyard of Likir as seen from rooftop.

Likir wasn’t a popular destination comparing to Alchi or Lamayuru. We could hardly see any visitors in the monastery and the entrance plaza was also empty.

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September 26, 2016 | Categories: India, India: Ladakh and Delhi 2016, Ladakh | Tags: Alchi, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, fresco, gompa, India, Indus, Ladakh, lama, lamasery, Leh, Likir, monastery | Leave a comment

DAY 4: LAMAYURU GOMPA, Indus Valley, Ladakh, India

Our first monastery of the day along the Srinagar-Leh highway was Lamayuru Gompa. Lamayuru is one of the largest monasteries in Ladakh. Apart from Thiksey Gompa, Lamayuru was the monastery in Ladakh that we enjoyed visiting the most. Affiliated with Drikung Kagyu, Lamayuru Gompa is founded in the 11th century. We spent half of our time indoor checking out various prayer and assembly halls, and the other half walking around the exterior of the compound along a prayer route lined with prayer wheels and stupas.

Our driver Tachi was kind enough to accompany us at Lamayuru. In simple English, Tachi told us stories about the monastery and the statues in the prayer halls, and taught us about the six Tibetan Buddhist syllable mantra “om mani padme hum” (ཨོཾ་མ་ཎི་པདྨེ་ཧཱུྃ) while we examined the inscriptions on the prayer wheels. Each time we turned a prayer wheel one cycle we were actually reading the six syllable mantra once. The six syllable mantra is often associated with Avalokiteśvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Under the crisp air of Ladakh highland and the shadows of ancient stupas, Tachi gave us a brief lesson of scattered information on Tibetan Buddhism. As we chatted and laughed, a few elderly pilgrims passed by, nodded and smiled to us.

Lamayuru Gompa from a distance.

Ticket office at the entrance of Lamayuru.

The first prayer hall that we entered at Lamayuru.

A window lama seat near the front altar.

Butter sculpture is a common handcraft for Tibetan lamas.

The prayer hall was vividly decorated with Tibetan textiles and furniture.

Ancient Buddhist statues at the back of the Prayer Hall.

The Cave of Meditation where Naropa, the founder of Lamayuru meditated in the 11th century.

Ancient stupas of jewels, gold and silver at the altar of a prayer hall.

Prayer oil lamps in a glass chamber is a common sight at a Tibetan lamasery.

One of the 150 monks residing at Lamayuru.

A cluster of vernacular dwellings below the Lamayuru Gompa.

Route of prayer wheels, stupas and a pilgrim.

One of the main buildings of Lamayuru Gompa.

Stupas of various sizes mushroomed around the lamasery compound.

Pilgrim and the old prayer wheels.

The Snow Lion is the emblem of Tibet.

Many mani stones were placed around the ancient stupas.

River valley and arid mountains dominate the surrounding landscape at Lamayuru.

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September 22, 2016 | Categories: India, India: Ladakh and Delhi 2016, Ladakh | Tags: gompa, India, Indus, Ladakh, lama, lamasery, Lamayuru, Leh, monastery, monk, stupa | Leave a comment

DAY 4: ON THE ROAD WEST OF LEH, Indus Valley, Ladakh, India

Another day of fine weather, another day of lamasery visit in the Indus Valley. This time, we headed northwest along Indus River towards Kargil and Kashmir. With limited time, we could only reach as far as Lamayuru Gompa, and stopped by Alchi and Likir on our way back to Leh. We would have to wait till next time to see the lush green Alpine scenery of Kashmir near the border with Pakistan. Unlike the day before when we spent the day to hop from one monastery to another, this time around we would spend considerably more time on the road traveling greater distances between the three monasteries. Therefore, the hotel manager suggested us to hire a decent SUV for the day. We took his advice and hired an experienced driver and a comfortable SUV from our hotel. Tashi, a designated driver employed by Ladakh Greens Hotel, turned out to be a good guide and excellent driver who mastered great driving skills necessary for the treacherous mountainous roads. Apart from the time spent at the three monasteries, we were pretty much on the road for most of the day, speeding through the arid landscapes west of Leh.

Our SUV left Leh at about 7:30 in the morning and headed west along Indus River.