My first night in Stok, I’m lulled
to sleep by the distant music of such
a celebration. I dream strange high
altitude dreams and wake before
dawn. Alone on the rooftop with just
the snap of prayer flags in the nippy
wind, the views are incredible; the
horizon in every direction seems to
swell with pride, puffing up its chest
with snow-capped peaks. When day
arrives, not a breath of wind stirs
the petals decorating our outdoor
breakfast table overlooking Stok
Kangri, at 6,137m the tallest peak in
the Zanskar range. The traditional
beaten copper bowls containing
oatmeal, chapattis, scrambled eggs
and pomegranate rubies gleam in the
sunlight. Later, we wander the village,
cameras glued to our eyes.
Ladakh is a photographer’s dream.
Elegant Stok Palace, official home of
the royal family for the last 200 years,
towers against the bluest of skies.
White-washed huts on stony hillsides
take you to Greece, then Cypress-lined
avenues whisk you to Italy, before
green meadows and snowy peaks
suggest you’re actually in Switzerland.
But, would you be invited into a local’s
home in any of these places to try salty
butter tea?
On the way to our surprise picnic
spot for lunch (a daily routine which
yields a more striking site each time), I
comment on the ubiquitous, carefully
tended stone walls. It is Jamyang,
our young Ladakhi guide who gets
my Robert Frost reference, quoting,
“Good fences make good neighbours”.
Personable and rather trendy, Jamyang
represents the educated youth of
Ladakh who’ve studied beyond the
state’s borders.
Almost to emphasise the point,
Coldplay’s “Magic” kicks off the
soundtrack for our drive to the
350-year-old Hemis Monastery after
lunch. Cruising in comfortable 4x4
SUVs, the drive takes us past the
impressive 600-year-old Thiksey
Monastery. The boundless sense of
space in Ladakh is hypnotising, and
the spiritual peace of these monasteries
so close to the heavens is tangible –
and contagious.
Taru and Nimoo
Heading yet further off the beaten
track (barely a thing in Ladakh), we
reach Taru after an enjoyable morning
rafting on the Indus River. Suitable
for all ages, its Grade-1 rapids are fun,
leaving us excited for the Grade-2
Shayok River experience ahead. Taru
is situated on the upper slopes of a
narrow valley and its lush rice terraces
undulate downward like a wide green
waterfall. The variety of scenery in
Ladakh is remarkable, and hiking to
Nimoo the next day, this is even more
obvious. A sandy plateau suddenly
drops into a canyon we follow for an
hour or two, before finally reaching
Nimoo in its ubiquitous village cloak
of green.
The following days seem to
race by. We practise archery in an
apricot orchard, drive through the
spectacular Zanskar Canyon to the
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