Hello All, A few days after arriving in India I went on the GapGuru Himalayan trip that would take in Manali, Keylong and Leh. I and another volunteer, Jo, were driven to Manali from Chandigarh.
As we passed through the Himachal Pradesh border we were surrounded by lush green vegetation and as we got higher we were driving through clouds. The air was so fresh and we saw an amazing waterfall. The route was quite precarious and there were rundown shacks on the hillsides as we went along the narrow paths. We saw plenty of monkeys, cows and herds of sheep during the trip! A local guide took us around Manali and we visited the Reorich Art Gallery and Naggar Castle, where there were amazing views of the landscape. At the Vashist Rishi Temple we were blessed by a Sadhu (holy men who stay in the temple). There are some really picturesque communities in Manali, and the people sit outside their homes watching the world go by. We had a traditional Kullu dish (quite adventurous - very spicy!), then we drove to M anu Temple, the oldest temple in the region, dedicated to Manu rishi. When we arrived at the famous 500 year old Hadimba Temple in Old Manali, situated in a dense forest, we saw that a Bollywood film was being produced! They were filming a scene where Buddhist monks walked down some stone steps from the temple. There were so many people and it was hard to tell who part of the film crew was and who was there to watch.
The next day we drove to Keylong, the start of our Ladakh safari via the Rohtang Pass. The scenery was breathtaking as we drove along the winding paths along the mountainside. During our trip the Himalayan landscape changed dramatically from lush green valleys to snow-capped mountains to barren, desert-like scenery. We saw groups of nomads with sleepy horses, resting. There were prayer flags all the way that added a burst of color. When we got to Keylong we stayed in a bamboo hut in a Buddhist retreat which was in the middle of nowhere, perched on a mountainside! It was like a mini-paradise, surrounded by mountains and a river, it was very idyllic.
Driving from Keylong to Sarchu, we crossed the second and higher Baralacha La Pass. It was very cold by this point and the tent we stayed in that night at a campsite was blustering about! We had to wear every item of clothing we owned. The mountains at Sarchu look like meringues, all white-beige and smooth. They look ancient and boney. The sky during the whole trip was clear blue. We saw more nomads on the way who live in houses made out of slabs of stone, so they seem to become part of the landscape. There are loads of funny road signs along the way - 'Please be gentle with my curves'; 'Always better to be Late than to be the late Mr.'; 'After whisky, driving risky'; 'safety on the road means safe tea at home' etc.
During out drive from Sarchu to Leh we began to feel some of the effects of altitude sickness - light-headedness, feeling really woozy, needing to drink every five seconds! The first few hours of the drive to Sarchu were amazing. The mountains reminded me of a Van Gogh painting, with their swirls of color. There were all sorts of shapes in the rock, resembling sinister figures and primitive faces of animals. Later it was like we were driving across the desert, it was so dusty and desolate, and the clouds cast dramatic shadows over the mountains. We reached the next highest pass, Taglangla. We reached the Indus River as we got closer to Leh and saw beautiful wild white horses and were surrounded by strange, red mountains.
Arriving in Leh, we visited Leh Palace, a dilapidated building that looks so impressive and proud from the distance, and the views from there are incredible. We then visited the Shankar Gompa and then the Shanti Stupa. The white-washed gompas and the brightly colored thangkas within them contrast dramatically with the arid landscape. We spent the afternoon at the fantastic Main Bazaar which has a lovely, quirky atmosphere. Later on we went to a really hardcore polo match, a popular sport in Ladakh. One guy fell off his horse and most of them weren't even wearing helmets! We had arrived in Leh during the Ladakhi Festival so we also saw traditional music and dance. The next day we went to Stok Palace which had an impressive range of thangkas. Next was the Hemis Gompa where there were some great frescoes and sweet little Buddhist monks-to-be running around and playing. We listened to Buddhist monks chanting at Spituk monastery, and one of the monks showed us around Phyang Monastery where ther e were rooms with amazing frescoes of deities that were almost 600 years old. Basgo Palace was my favorite site. The building complex was crumbling away and blended in with the mountainous landscape. It was soon time to catch a plane back to
Delhi to begin a one-month placement at a publishing company. It was such an incredible trip and a great way to start my gap year.