After heat and dust in Delhi and beautiful but rainy Manali we made our way up to Leh, in North-Western India, just four hundred something kilometers away from Kashmir, where I was last summer, but incredibly different. The way to Leh is an adventure itself, most people take a minibus or a jeep from Manali, if everything goes well the journey takes less than a day and gets you through spectacular mountain sceneries, first the green foothills around Manali, then, as you go up vegetation becomes scarce and eventually the roads lead through an eerie high altitude ice desert, frozen lakes, snow capped mountains, mud/snow slides partially blocking the way. This route is definitely out of this world, I could have never even imagined a place like Ladakh. At the same time it wasn't easy to get here. I got bad altitude sickness at night, when we stayed in tents to get a couple of hours sleep, all joints in my body were acheing, I couldnt sleep, breething hurt my lungs. Fortunately this stop over at roughly 4200 meters was followed by us going downhill, it is amazing how much difference 200 meters in altitude make!
Leh, the capital of Ladakh is yet another very different India. But that seems to be the standard reaction whenever you go somewhere new in this incredibly diverse country. Ladakh has a high Buddhist presence, you see gompas (temples) everywhere and prayer flags are not just put up for decorative purposes. Now, in summer, it's very pleasant, but temperatures drop to -30 degrees in winter. During these months the region is virtually cut off the rest of the world, hard to imagine now! Still, the conditions are extreme. At one point during the journey my right was facing the glaring sun sweating, while my left was in the shade with goosebumps. I wonder if the many workers who try to keep the road free from ice and landslides ever get used to this feeling...
After sunrise, our driver had just woken us up and told us that a mudslide was blocking the road. We had to navigate our way around it to get to the bus that was waiting for us on the other side. The bit of road you see here could be considered "good" compared to other bits...
What looks like a nice little hike was actually pretty exhausting. While the constant stream of travellers had formed some kind of path the detour turned out to be more climbing than walking.
Within half an hour the hill was packed with people selling snacks to waiting travellers or offering their help (or rather their horses') to carry luggage up to road.
On the road again! Tristan grinning painfully after we had boarded the bus. In the background one of the many stunning waterfalls, sometimes we had to drive through ankle-deep water!
Stunning view at about 3000 meters. Apart from the uncertainties about the road quality the journey was simply amazing. Our fellow Indian traveller didn't even bother to appreciate the view out of his window, after a while tiredness gets you and even the wildest scenery doesn't get you anymore.
"Next Filling Station 365 km ahead" You won't believe it but we saw people on bicycles on the very same road!
The promised prayer flags. If you look at the mountain in the background, you see that its much lighter, dustier than the ones earlier. The massive variety in - what felt like climate zones - was typical for the trip, a nice example is the next picture.
Some village on the way, the mountains around this oasis are grey/brownish, but for some reason the settlement is surrounded by lush greenery! Who wouldn't want to live there (were it not for its remoteness?)
Time for a chai (and a group hug!)
As we made our way up and down, up and down the mountains the landscape changed within hours. Here one of the long (and cold) bits we compared to Mordor, an extreme contrast between the black rocks and the white snow!
One of my favourite parts of the journey. A frozen lake, between 4000 and 5000 meters high. Here breathing was difficult, none of us spoke when we didn't have to. But the pains were worth it, just for moments like this!
The highest pass of the trip. 5680 meters if I remember correctly. The side of the road was full with little heaps of stones, Buddhists (or just the mountain people in this part of South Asia?) put them there after successfully crossing it.
The day after our arrival in Leh. After 14 hours of sleep I felt nearly normal, just a bit short of breadth but after a while we all got acclimatised and ventured on the first expedition, to a monastery on the mountain that dominates the old part of town.
Pokhara lakeside. 5 Minutes away from our Hotel. A dream!
A fisherman, taken on an evening scooter drive around the lake.
I know I know, but honestly, that's how it feels sometimes! And my traveling companion has proven to be very hug gable (tried in various other situations) Top!
Two of my favourite doors in town. I especially like the first one with the eagle, it might be Garud, Vishnu's vahan (many gods have an animal companion, the word literally means vehicle, although I'm not sure if they all ride on them...)
A close-up of Ganesh, guarding the door to another house. He is sitting on a mouse, his vahan. Quite nice, the elephan's servant a mouse!
Paintings on the corners between two houses. A maharaja riding an elephant on the right, the left picture shows Shiva, you recognize him through the cobra around his neck and the trident he's holding.
If there is anything like a "main god" in this area it is Shiva. Some people believe he made a puja on the banks of the Ganges 3500 years ago. Yesterday was a major festival for him, when thousands of pilgrims carried pots with Ganges water around the town to pour them on shrines and temples of the god.
The roof of a temple.
The ghats by night. Now, during monsoon water levels are much higher than I've ever seen them, this temple seems to be sinking away slowly...
Tristan enjoying the evening breeze and deep in thought.
The valley we passed by jeep on the way to the mountain.
Adam, sunbathing. Thomasso, carrying one of the tents.
... and then it got steep. But a great view from up there!
We found a deserted rice field where we put up our tents. These guys had some fields further up, but slept in a hut down the hill. We had a nice conversation in Hinglish and they helped us to find wood and lit the fire with one (!) match.
The next morning. I think we all felt much dirtier than we look like.
Devalsari, the village on the foot of the mountain where we took a jeep back to Mussoorie.
Aaaaand I got another chance to sit on the rooftop. Great experience, good pictures!
My roommate Thomasso and me.
This is the view I get every morning when walking up the steep path that leads from my house (I stay with an Indian family) to school.
I then go around the corner and - when the weather is clear - see this. The white peaks are the Himalayas.
A painting on a rock, just off a path close to school. I thought first it was an Indian goddess but it turned out to be from Hawaii. How it got there - no clue ;-)
Sunset over Mussoorie, seen five minutes away from my house. And it's like that every evening!
Finishing with one of these pictures that symbolise India for me - where else would you get a shop that specialises in dry cleaning and video repair?
On my first day, in the blazing sun of Delhi, Rashtrapati Bhavan, where the president of India lives (?) and works, one of those gazillion pictures of "old" and "new" India in one.
As a hard working student of South Asia I could not miss Teen Murthi Bhavan, where Nehru used to live. A HUGE mansion as you can see, very quite with a nice and lush garden. There was a little exhibition with quotes and pictures and you could see the rooms, furniture and books looked like they were originals ... You could see that his family had money and Nehru's Western influences, at the same time I found it quite down to earth, considering his powers and influence. A very interesting visit.
Nehru's study. Unfortunately you couldnt enter the room, they were sealed off, you had to look through windows.
And a puppeteer in Delhi, on my last evening there before hitting the road to Mussoorie. I had an interesting discussion with him after the show, he's been around the world, especially in Europe, on invitation of the Augsburger Puppenkiste. (Here a link for the non-Germans)
Flags on a temple roof, on the way to Rishikesh.
Rishikesh. Friends from the language school chilling on a rock in the Ganges. The water was surprisingly cold, we had a few nice dips (dual use: cool down and be forgiven your sins) and enjoyed the afternoon here.
Taj Mahal... maybe one of the most photographed buildings in the world. For a reason! I was a bit sceptical about going there, but it was on our way from Varanasi to Delhi and was definitely worth the visit. We spend about 3 hours there and it's of a beauty that I've never seen in a building before. As you can see I was happy!
Some detail shots of the Taj. Even though the builder (Shah Jahan, father of Aurganzeb for the history junkies reading this) was a Muslim he respected the other main religions of his time (Hinduism and Sikhism) very much. See how the flower forms an 'Om' sign?
Beautiful Arabic calligraphy on the outside of the Taj. It looks like it's painted on the marble but in fact they cut out small pieces of it and replace them with black stones. When looking at this magnificent architecture I thought "How could anyone ever speak of European superiority, completely dismissing Indian culture and science. Is there anything comparable in Europe?"
In one of the side-buildings. It's a bit blured and there could be some work done on the colors, but not now ;-)
Approaching Srinagar from Delhi. See the mountains, the landscape... Simply amazing.
A couple of minutes before touch-down. Green, green, green - wherever you're looking!
