Already at the approach for a landing it became clear that we would be in a totally different part of India; brown-grey barren mountains, green valleys and few settlements. Nice!
The region of Ladakh lies in northern India between the Kunlun mountain range and the main Great Himalayas. The region is one of the last enclaves of the Mahayana Buddhism and is heavily populated by Tibetan, thus it is called “Little Tibet”.
Staying in Leh after being in Delhi is like getting from hell to heaven; fresh air, quiet streets, affectionate people, pleasant climate and even clear streams. Just do not forget your sunscreen and moisturizer. 3500meter a.s.l. you get burnt easily and the dry climate makes you feel like a prune. Our base camp in Leh became the friendly Silver Cloud Guest House. Owner Sonam and his family take being a host very seriously and ensure that every guest leaves happy and with plenty of good memories. Our fist days we just enjoyed the quietness and the many good momos. Certainly a great place to stay and relax in India.
Copying other regions the Ladakhi monasteries moved their festivals from winter, to summer, to attract more tourists. Luckily one festival was close-by during our time in Leh. Seems the saying “be careful what you whish for, you might just get it” is true. The tourists outnumbered the monks and local visitors by far. Their number and especially their disrespect for the ceremony ruined most of the spirituality and mystique. It was pretty hard to recognize the meaning behind all camera lenses and so we left after a short while.
The next day we went on a trip to Nubra Valley, apart from visiting the valley the highlight is to drive over the “highest motorable pass”, the Khardung-La at 5602m. The first day was great. We had stunning views, visited the biggest monastery of the valley and rode camels. During our village walk a car with a loudspeaker passed by and we learnt that this is the official governmental news organ. After a great dinner things started to get decline. Because some idiots placed bombs at Boud Gaya, one of the holiest Buddhist places, the Ladhaki Buddhist Associations (LBA) decided to call for a voluntary act of support by shutting down the business. So far so good, soon we learnt that the LBA did not only strongly suggest shutting down the businesses but also the streets with a car-curfew. The next thing we learnt is how to be in a place, where you have no access to reliable information and be dependable of questionable forces. The only clear information was: “It is all about the message…”. When I questioned that Delhi or Boud Gaya would hear anything by closing the valley (which is anyhow closed for more than 8 months a year), the answers were “This is India” or “You do not understand, you are just selfish”. Well, the answers did not really help me.
Our guide and our driver started to make calls and discuss the best approach with others. It was the first semi-official curfew since years they were really scared. However, it was not clear if they were more afraid of the LBA or the military. The next morning we had to get up at 4AM to be back in Leh before the assumed curfew. After all the excitement the ride was quite, not one single military was there, only panicking drivers and guides. Back in Leh we learnt that there was a curfew from 11AM to 4PM. All shops and cars, which would not follow the voluntary strike would get punished, mainly by LBA members would throwing stones at them. Since the peaceful Buddhist would palpable ensure that nobody breaks the strike, the military had to make sure that nothing happens. However, only to a certain point as the LBA is somehow more powerful than the military and the local government, although they are officially no political force… After the smoke and mirrors were gone, it seemed that it was all about the message. But contrary to all the announcements it seemed not directed to Delhi or Boud Gaya, but to possible terrorists in Ladhak: “ Do not mess with the Buddhists here.”
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