Nubra Valley

(the main road in Diskit)

Yesterday I went with Alice to the Nubra Valley after her quick recovery from traveller's illness. The doctor injected her with something amazing and then gave her loads of cipro that seemed to do the trick. So we left yesterday morning and drove north east of Leh (near to China). It was a beautiful drive over "the world's highest motorable pass" at over 18,000 feet. My stomach is getting good at detecting the altitude and as we climb higher my stomach gets closer and closer to staging a revolt. The driver went nice and slow and luckily we came down not too long after the peak. To give an idea of the roads, it took nearly two hours to drive 40 kilometers. Wild.



A few thoughts about altitude...

Leh town = 11,500 feet
Pangong Lake = 14,000 feet
Height from which mom and I jumped out of an airplane = 14,000 feet
Highest peak in the Rocky Mountains = 14,440 feet
Everest Base Camp = 17,600
Highest motorable pass = 18,500
Highest mountain outside the Himalayas (in the Andes)= 22,841
Mount Everest = 29,029 feet

Anyway, back to the main subject... We got to a small town called Diskit where we checked into the guest house and then were driven to a small town called Hunder. We were supposed to spend a 'lovely afternoon in the quiet village' but when we got there it was essentially one hut surrounded by lots of sand dunes and some camels that you could ride. Hilarious. This was no village! It was merely a tourist stop for a camel ride. We couldn't help but laugh and had the driver take us back to the hotel. I've now avoided camel rides in two countries and will do it again if necessary.

Had a nice long nap in the very very very quiet town of Diskit and some time to read. I'm really glad I went and visited the Nubra Valley, though I must confess that Pangong Lake was prettier and I'm not entirely sure Nubra is as amazing as it's hyped up to be. The valley was largely sand dunes which were grey and not unlike what you'd see at the Jersey shore, but the mountains surrounding it were simply stunning. They looked almost like a surrealist illustration in a children's book with all their bumps and lumps. Truly a sight to see. No one mountain looked like any other and the colors and textures were so varied that I had my eyes glued out the window nearly the whole trip.

I'm so sad to go back to Bangalore tomorrow, but this trip in Leh has given me some fuel and energy to plan more weekend trips in the south. Not sure anywhere in India will be as beautiful as this, but I will search