Even before I start my blog post of what and what not and how it was and what it was not! My deepest thanks and admiration to all the Ladakhi's who were relentlessly working to get us food,tea, put our tents before we reached camp sites, packed our tents and sleeping bags while we were standing in front of fire warming ourselves and for every small or big thing they did.
THANK YOU!!
And now with all the gratitude in my heart... my story begins :)
The story of Chadar trek had begun last year, when just a night before we were leaving for Chadar, we got a message from Trek the Himalaya's that Chadar is now feeble and is easily breakable and hence the trek has been cancelled. 2-3 days went around in turmoil, anger, disappointment and confusions. We kept thinking may be we should just go to Leh and travel around and come back but as most of the people said that due to snowfall you will not be able to go anywhere so we finally decided we will do it as part of first batch in 2018. As we already had done all the preparations last year, this year it was just the matter of booking tickets and flying and enjoying the trek.
If I have to define this trek in few words, it will be test of patience, endurance and finding the beauty in monotony!. The last sentence because your terrain for 7 days is almost exactly same, your routine is exactly same, the excruciating cold is the same and your pattern of walking is just same for 7 days which sometimes can be a long long time!
As this trek can be tricky in terms of cold, I suggest you carry everything that TTH recommends in the list of things to carry at https://www.trekthehimalayas.com/chadar-trek/#essential but do look for recommendations from my side at the end of blog post.
11th January 2018
We used this day to get acclimatized and see some places in Leh. Even though TTH gives enough time to get acclimatized we went 2-3 days earlier so that we could see some places around Leh as well even though actual trek was to begin only from 13th or rather 14th(13th was only the briefing day by TTH).
Note
While writing this I read on fb that a 21 year old girl died hence in future it will be mandated that you must undergo a medical check up at a hospital in Leh. Personally, I feel this is a very very good step but I hope its handled with discipline and without bringing any trouble to the fellow travelers. So all the best to all the future travelers!
12th January 2018
On 12th we went around Sham valley tour. At this time Pang gong and Nubra valley were open but required longer time and a more sturdy vehicle like Xylo to go.
We rented Stenzin's taxi for 4500 INR for the whole day trip to following places. His mobile number is 09469356793
1) Magnetic hill: Our first stop was magnetic hill. We stopped a little far off but didn't experience anything magnetic. I wanted to go all the way up but Stenzin suggested against it as we were still acclimatizing and any kind of exertion could lead to headache and nausea. I have heard at some specific points magnetism really plays its part but to experience that I think I will go there this summer on my bullet :p
2) Sangam: Confluence of river Indus and Zanskar. Stenzin was kind enough to take us all the way down so that we could actually touch the confluence, not that we did :p because it really was very cold :p :)
3) Next we stopped at Nimo village for our breakfast and took some cute pictures of dogs and kiddos and left for Alchi monastery
4) After a long ride, we finally reached to Alchi monastery which was really beautiful. Due to off season, the temples were closed but were kindly opened by the Buddhist monk once he saw that he had some visitors.
5) Next we went to Moonland: Its called as Moonland due to the kind of surface the mountains have there.
6) Lamayuru monastery: Few km ahead was Lamayuru village. As we wanted to experience the Ice stupa, we let go of Lamayuru monastery in lieu of time.
7) Finally, not too far from Leh , in Phyang village, there is a man made Ice stupa. You can read more about Ice stupa and their benefits at http://icestupa.org/
Finally we reached back to Leh and after dinner, slid under our warm blankets.
#Stay
The palace view hotel: The hotel owner Vikram and care taker Irfan are really nice and friendly. The hotel is very close to the market and hence restaurants etc. are easily accessible. You can contact them at 09906991786
The Panaroma hotel: Here we stayed after coming back from trek. The hotel looks really beautiful from outside, rooms are nice and cozy but is almost 2 km from the market and hence everything becomes very inaccessible and the food etc. provided in hotel is very expensive.
#Food
Punjabi rasoi: Open till late and was always the last resort. Their samosa's are hot and must try
Food corner: The food was okish but the ambiance is really nice and that made us go back there
Meal Mastiyan: In Leh if you want to eat Pizza , go nowhere else except this place! Most of the food was very spicy though I liked my pizza quite to my satisfaction. For this one you will have to go all the way upto 2nd floor and it took us a while to search this one.
Wazwan restaurant: Yet again opened till a little beyond 7:45 pm. Had good dal fry. The staff was friendly enough
#Shopping
For your shopping you can go to any place in main market which says Army store and buy your gloves, gum boots ( Diamond gum boots), face cover, caps etc.
Apricots and dry fruits are must buy from Leh. The local market on the roadside were pretty good and the merchants were very warm people which made me buy my share of apricots from them
Pashminas: There are many shops to buy Pashmina shawls or even normal shawls. My friend brought the shop upside down while finding the best Pashmina for his mom and once out he was actually proud of it :) :p
13th January 2018
After briefing with TTH at 12 pm and getting introduced to fellow trekkers we went around the market, had our lunch and left for Leh Palace. From palace view hotel the walk to Leh palace is 10-15 minutes. Localites will be more than willing to help you in case you are not sure of the route. Unfortunately, the day we went, the Leh palace was closed due to some construction.
From Leh palace there is a way to Gompa but there is no way to Shanti stupa. The Gompa is located at higher altitude than Leh palace so you would want to make sure that you are feeling well to indulge into such adventure at least for the day one. From Gompa there is a straight way to Shanti stupa as well. As we were already late we neither went to the Gompa nor to the Shanti stupa.
14th January 2018
At 9 am after our breakfast, we left for Tilad do in tempo traveler. Being a biker and having ridden to many such terrains, the only thought that I had on my way to Tilad do was when can I come on this road on my bullet :). Perhaps soon :). We reached to Tilad do in 3 hours or so and then it was our rest day. The tents were already there, the food was being prepared and the sun was there giving us its loving warmth in -11 degrees Celsius.
As this was the first time, I had seen a frozen river, I was quite excited and went for a long walk with my group. Somewhere I knew the next few days landscapes are gonna be much more admirable than this but it's never enough for a human mind! Innit?
In the evening our trek lead Dev took us for a short walk on ice and taught us how to walk on ice which was fun because it was just a drill but what next 7 days brought to us was something beyond comparable!
#Stay
We stayed in tents for next 7 days and it was a lifetime experience!
My suggestion for the sleeping bag would be to check it first thing when you reach camp site and if its wet put it in sun for sometime. Also , make your bed before sun goes off because first day, while trying to understand how to put the sleeping bag, I landed up being cold almost the whole night :p :)
#Food
Thanks to TTH, they spoiled us for choices with yummy black tea with Cinnamon everyday and different mouth watering meals on different days like parantha, porridge, corn flakes, rice, maggi, thupka, noodles etc.. And to top it up we were also served desserts like kheer, halwa and much more! In my opinion every single day menu was yum as hell.
15th January 2018
6:30 ; 7:30; 8:30 am was our mantra. Every day kid me not! At 6:30 am I had the yummy black tea with Cinnamon outside my tent and that's exactly why I dedicate this blog post to each one of those guys. They were so good and so disciplined at everything.
At 7:30, our breakfast was ready. We all ate it in the dining tent together and after standing around bonfire warming our hands and feet, we generally started our trek around 8:30 am.
After trekking for almost 5-6 hours we reached Somu where we were supposed to camp for the night
This night after our dinner, we also saw millions and zillions of stars in the sky. Unfortunately, I couldn't take a picture from my camera of those beautiful starry night!
In general, I was apprehensive to go on a trek with a group as I have done all my treks in past by
myself so I felt may be I will have to walk in a line, walk at the pace of others and all that but luckily TTH didn't pose any such restrictions on us. There was a trek guide in front and there was our trek lead at the end. In between them, everyone could walk at their pace.
As I am completely against human porterage, I carried my luggage on my own. It wasn't exactly human porterage as the porters were carrying luggage on sledges but still for some reason in that terrain and that cold it felt inhuman to request those guys to carry my luggage. To be honest the luggage on your back, the cold and being focused so not to slip makes the trek difficult otherwise if you are fit enough, it's mostly a flat walk on ice with focus!
16th January 2018
Yet again after the 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 drill, we left for our trek. This day we were supposed to reach Tibb caves. And to my pleasant surprise we reached there by 1:40 pm. As there was enough sun to soak at the camp site, we kept lying on stones in sun. On days like these, the book I bought at the airport came handy :)
My group was a very peppy one, every evening they sang beautiful songs. I stood there in front of the fire looking at sky full of stars barely able to open my mouth because of the cold but the gang was one helluva gang, each and every night they enjoyed to their max!
17th January 2018
After the 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 drill, we left for our trek. The Chadar was now narrower and only at the corners.
This day was much longer. After walking for hours with complete focus and attention. We reached to the final point. Unfortunately the Chadar was broken there and hence we had to hike up and descend a grueling mountain to reach the frozen waterfall. I found descending alot more scarier because one step here to there and boooommm you would fall down!
Yet again here it was heart wrenching to see all the porters carrying heavy luggage with their sledges on their back and still helping some of us to walk that scary path!
From the peak one could also see the actual Narek village and path to Narek village. TTH didn't take us to Narek as we were late while reaching to the base camp.
Dev our guide gave us an option to wake up at 4 am and go hike to Narek village and come back by 8:30 am to leave back with the entire group. I chose against it as first in the dark it made no sense to hike and second if at 6:30 am its freaking cold then at 4 am in the morning, I would have become Jyoti Stupa :p!
And Finally we reached to the frozen waterfall. After taking photos for an hour or so we finally reached to the campsite.
At the campsite there are rooms available but as there were plethora of people TTH could only get 2 rooms hence some of us had to sleep in tents. I chose to sleep in the tent but before I could get one, all the tents were occupied.
When I requested Dev, he said this " When there is no option!, there is an option" :) and TTH group put a tent for me on the roof of the rooms and that night I slept like a queen in my tent :D under the starry sky with the beautiful sound of Zanskar river flowing beside me.
18th January 2018
Now was the time to return back and also the time to tell your brain its ok! Dont give up! Up until now, I had the excitement and anticipation to reach to my final destination but now the epiphany of monotony had set in! We reached back to Tibb caves for the first day. By now my shoulder had started giving up on me with the 7 kg bag that I was carrying so at the campsite the drill of putting volini and eating pain killer was also set in
It was so surprising to see that the Chadar which was so strong and sturdy while we were going to Narek was now already slushy and watery. At lot of places we had to climb up as Chadar was really thin and it was not safe to walk over it!
Few people also fell in water and hence its a good idea to keep socks ( lots of socks) handy!
Do keep volini and pain killers and paracetamol etc. as they can sometimes be really helpful.
19th January 2018
As Chadar was drastically melting hence our trek lead suggested to leave early and hence the drill was changed to 6;7 and 8 am. I don't really think I have to even mention this that there was a call outside my tent right at 6 am, madam chai le lo!
Well even though we started early, Chadar was really thin and slushy at lot of stretches. Sometimes, I feel all these are the ways of nature to tell us, the human beings, 'Fuck you back' :(.
On this day we reached the camp site Somu by 3ish in noon! This day, my group took dancing to a different level by dancing for 3-4 hours from noon till evening and still didn't miss the evening singing! hats off to their stamina :)!
During the trek, I had this discussion with my friend that people wearing crampons, should it really make much difference? First, as per what TTH told, the crampons are not allowed on Chadar trek, though not that there is anyone to look or police but still! Second, may be 1 person wearing might not make a difference but we human beings were there like herds of sheep and by simple mathematics if even 100 people were wearing crampons, then I personally feel along with the heat of sun, heat of human beings and constant crushing of ice by 100 crampons must have made some difference to , what the state of Chadar was while returning. I believe just like mandate medical check up, not allowing crampons on Chadar should also be mandated.
20th January 2018
This was our last stretch and today's plan was 7,8,9 am. This day we only must have walked for 2 to 21/2 hours. In the last stretch while reaching towards Tilad do, everyone was taking up a huge mountain as Chadar was about to get closed because rocks were falling from top due to road construction. Looking at the huge number of people hiking up the mountain, I rushed via Chadar with Sowmya. It definitely was a tricky stretch to cross alone but I was quite satisfied with our performance :p and also was very very happy that we didn't have to take that humongous mountain at least at the last stretch.
We had our final cup of black tea with cinnamon! We all waited for our lunch to be served while preparing for the last adventure of the trip! 'Taking a dip' in freezing Zanskar river at -11 degree Celsius.
When I put my foot in water, the only thing that was ringing in my head was ...'IIIII have become comfortably numb". I took dip one and then the dip 2. By the dip 2, I felt I am going die, my heart has stopped beating.. All the people around were hooting one more , one more....but I came out but...It was soooooo awesome! It was definitely a thing to remember...How that cold water feels on your skin... That's something I will savor for a lifetime!
Finally we changed , had hot noodles and left in our tempo traveler for Leh. During this time, I slept off but to my surprise most of the people were awake and talking.
On the way, 25 km from Leh, we went to Gurudwara Pathar saheb. We paid our homage there. Drank marvelous masala tea with Boondi and namkeen prasad and left back for Leh.
Within an hour we were back to Leh and back to 'Almost civilization'... On the way, my whatsapp started beeping and I just wasn't ready to get back to usual! Not yet! In that moment it definitely crossed my mind...perhaps being away from civilization is not that bad!
One of the days a fellow trekker spoke out few lines from a book he was reading in the dining tent and I think those lines make a perfect ending to my blog post
There is no wisdom of an old man
There is no wisdom of a child
You are as wise as you live in this moment!
Thanks Prithvi for saying it out loud. I totally loved it!
Recommendations
1) Do not buy lot of things from Decathlon. Manage to get down at Leh with bare minimums where it will be -11 degree Celsius and go to the main market and buy gloves, jackets, gum boots, trekking stick as they are alot cheaper and are of good quality
2) Trekking stick for me was mandatory as it really helps to balance though if you want to make your trek more adventurous you must try walking without one :)
3) Monkey cap might make you look like a monkey but it really helps and protects your head and face
4) No matter how much you think that you can take bath in Leh, with -20 degree Celsius and only a bucket of hot water you will be discouraged to take bath ( atleast I was) hence be sensible and carry only another pair of clothes that too just in case you fall in river and wet yourself specially if you plan to carry your luggage which I encourage you to!
5) Buy Diamond gum boots from Leh and carry 5-10 pairs of socks as they get wet very often
6) Carry a Milton water flask. You can buy in Leh as well as its the same price there also
7) Carry a head torch. It will be very useful inside the tent, while going to the loo and almost at all times in night at camp site
8) Carry a book for the days when you might reach earlier than usual on camp sites.
9) For all the women: I definitely didn't change clothes for these 7 days on trek so you might want to carry liners as they can be quite helpful.
10) Do carry a comb and lots of rubber bands. I lost my rubber band and it was quite a nightmare to have hair open with all the static going through your hair and making them fly everywhere!
11) Please carry lot of toilet paper rolls
All the very best! Hope you venture into this once in your lifetime!
THANK YOU!!
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| Acho carrying our sleeping bags |
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| Cleaning utensils at -11 degreeeeeeessss |
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| A porter carrying our luggage |
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| Rigzin serving our food! |
If there is one thing I learnt on this trip, it would be
"Kindness must be your religion even if you are uncomfortable, angry or disappointed".
(Read it behind a car :p). And sincerely my kind Salute to each one of those people who were there pampering us and a special thanks to Indian Army for being there for us.
We as human beings take so much for granted... Chadar yet again reminded me to be appreciative of food I eat, the water I drink, the electricity I get at my place, the beautiful sun giving its warmth on my roof top, the comfortable bed and the warmth which my blankets give me, the hot water which I can use to wash myself every single day. Thank you! Thank you for every single thing that I have today! Thank you universe!
And now with all the gratitude in my heart... my story begins :)
The story of Chadar trek had begun last year, when just a night before we were leaving for Chadar, we got a message from Trek the Himalaya's that Chadar is now feeble and is easily breakable and hence the trek has been cancelled. 2-3 days went around in turmoil, anger, disappointment and confusions. We kept thinking may be we should just go to Leh and travel around and come back but as most of the people said that due to snowfall you will not be able to go anywhere so we finally decided we will do it as part of first batch in 2018. As we already had done all the preparations last year, this year it was just the matter of booking tickets and flying and enjoying the trek.
If I have to define this trek in few words, it will be test of patience, endurance and finding the beauty in monotony!. The last sentence because your terrain for 7 days is almost exactly same, your routine is exactly same, the excruciating cold is the same and your pattern of walking is just same for 7 days which sometimes can be a long long time!
As this trek can be tricky in terms of cold, I suggest you carry everything that TTH recommends in the list of things to carry at https://www.trekthehimalayas.com/chadar-trek/#essential but do look for recommendations from my side at the end of blog post.
11th January 2018
We used this day to get acclimatized and see some places in Leh. Even though TTH gives enough time to get acclimatized we went 2-3 days earlier so that we could see some places around Leh as well even though actual trek was to begin only from 13th or rather 14th(13th was only the briefing day by TTH).
Note
While writing this I read on fb that a 21 year old girl died hence in future it will be mandated that you must undergo a medical check up at a hospital in Leh. Personally, I feel this is a very very good step but I hope its handled with discipline and without bringing any trouble to the fellow travelers. So all the best to all the future travelers!
12th January 2018
On 12th we went around Sham valley tour. At this time Pang gong and Nubra valley were open but required longer time and a more sturdy vehicle like Xylo to go.
We rented Stenzin's taxi for 4500 INR for the whole day trip to following places. His mobile number is 09469356793
1) Magnetic hill: Our first stop was magnetic hill. We stopped a little far off but didn't experience anything magnetic. I wanted to go all the way up but Stenzin suggested against it as we were still acclimatizing and any kind of exertion could lead to headache and nausea. I have heard at some specific points magnetism really plays its part but to experience that I think I will go there this summer on my bullet :p
 |
| Magnetic hill |
2) Sangam: Confluence of river Indus and Zanskar. Stenzin was kind enough to take us all the way down so that we could actually touch the confluence, not that we did :p because it really was very cold :p :)
 |
| Sangam |
3) Next we stopped at Nimo village for our breakfast and took some cute pictures of dogs and kiddos and left for Alchi monastery
 |
| Kiddo with the cute doggo at Nimo village |
4) After a long ride, we finally reached to Alchi monastery which was really beautiful. Due to off season, the temples were closed but were kindly opened by the Buddhist monk once he saw that he had some visitors.
5) Next we went to Moonland: Its called as Moonland due to the kind of surface the mountains have there.
6) Lamayuru monastery: Few km ahead was Lamayuru village. As we wanted to experience the Ice stupa, we let go of Lamayuru monastery in lieu of time.
7) Finally, not too far from Leh , in Phyang village, there is a man made Ice stupa. You can read more about Ice stupa and their benefits at http://icestupa.org/
Finally we reached back to Leh and after dinner, slid under our warm blankets.
#Stay
The palace view hotel: The hotel owner Vikram and care taker Irfan are really nice and friendly. The hotel is very close to the market and hence restaurants etc. are easily accessible. You can contact them at 09906991786
The Panaroma hotel: Here we stayed after coming back from trek. The hotel looks really beautiful from outside, rooms are nice and cozy but is almost 2 km from the market and hence everything becomes very inaccessible and the food etc. provided in hotel is very expensive.
#Food
Punjabi rasoi: Open till late and was always the last resort. Their samosa's are hot and must try
Food corner: The food was okish but the ambiance is really nice and that made us go back there
Meal Mastiyan: In Leh if you want to eat Pizza , go nowhere else except this place! Most of the food was very spicy though I liked my pizza quite to my satisfaction. For this one you will have to go all the way upto 2nd floor and it took us a while to search this one.
Wazwan restaurant: Yet again opened till a little beyond 7:45 pm. Had good dal fry. The staff was friendly enough
#Shopping
For your shopping you can go to any place in main market which says Army store and buy your gloves, gum boots ( Diamond gum boots), face cover, caps etc.
 |
| Main market |
Apricots and dry fruits are must buy from Leh. The local market on the roadside were pretty good and the merchants were very warm people which made me buy my share of apricots from them
 |
| The warm apricot merchant |
Pashminas: There are many shops to buy Pashmina shawls or even normal shawls. My friend brought the shop upside down while finding the best Pashmina for his mom and once out he was actually proud of it :) :p
13th January 2018
After briefing with TTH at 12 pm and getting introduced to fellow trekkers we went around the market, had our lunch and left for Leh Palace. From palace view hotel the walk to Leh palace is 10-15 minutes. Localites will be more than willing to help you in case you are not sure of the route. Unfortunately, the day we went, the Leh palace was closed due to some construction.
From Leh palace there is a way to Gompa but there is no way to Shanti stupa. The Gompa is located at higher altitude than Leh palace so you would want to make sure that you are feeling well to indulge into such adventure at least for the day one. From Gompa there is a straight way to Shanti stupa as well. As we were already late we neither went to the Gompa nor to the Shanti stupa.
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| Road to Leh |
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| Leh Palace - 9 storied building |
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| Leh city view from Leh palace |
14th January 2018
At 9 am after our breakfast, we left for Tilad do in tempo traveler. Being a biker and having ridden to many such terrains, the only thought that I had on my way to Tilad do was when can I come on this road on my bullet :). Perhaps soon :). We reached to Tilad do in 3 hours or so and then it was our rest day. The tents were already there, the food was being prepared and the sun was there giving us its loving warmth in -11 degrees Celsius.
As this was the first time, I had seen a frozen river, I was quite excited and went for a long walk with my group. Somewhere I knew the next few days landscapes are gonna be much more admirable than this but it's never enough for a human mind! Innit?
In the evening our trek lead Dev took us for a short walk on ice and taught us how to walk on ice which was fun because it was just a drill but what next 7 days brought to us was something beyond comparable!
#Stay
We stayed in tents for next 7 days and it was a lifetime experience!
 |
| Tilad do camp site |
My suggestion for the sleeping bag would be to check it first thing when you reach camp site and if its wet put it in sun for sometime. Also , make your bed before sun goes off because first day, while trying to understand how to put the sleeping bag, I landed up being cold almost the whole night :p :)
#Food
Thanks to TTH, they spoiled us for choices with yummy black tea with Cinnamon everyday and different mouth watering meals on different days like parantha, porridge, corn flakes, rice, maggi, thupka, noodles etc.. And to top it up we were also served desserts like kheer, halwa and much more! In my opinion every single day menu was yum as hell.
 |
| Lunch time! |
15th January 2018
6:30 ; 7:30; 8:30 am was our mantra. Every day kid me not! At 6:30 am I had the yummy black tea with Cinnamon outside my tent and that's exactly why I dedicate this blog post to each one of those guys. They were so good and so disciplined at everything.
 |
| Black tea with cinnamon |
At 7:30, our breakfast was ready. We all ate it in the dining tent together and after standing around bonfire warming our hands and feet, we generally started our trek around 8:30 am.
After trekking for almost 5-6 hours we reached Somu where we were supposed to camp for the night
 |
| Walk like an Egyptian |
This night after our dinner, we also saw millions and zillions of stars in the sky. Unfortunately, I couldn't take a picture from my camera of those beautiful starry night!
In general, I was apprehensive to go on a trek with a group as I have done all my treks in past by
myself so I felt may be I will have to walk in a line, walk at the pace of others and all that but luckily TTH didn't pose any such restrictions on us. There was a trek guide in front and there was our trek lead at the end. In between them, everyone could walk at their pace.
As I am completely against human porterage, I carried my luggage on my own. It wasn't exactly human porterage as the porters were carrying luggage on sledges but still for some reason in that terrain and that cold it felt inhuman to request those guys to carry my luggage. To be honest the luggage on your back, the cold and being focused so not to slip makes the trek difficult otherwise if you are fit enough, it's mostly a flat walk on ice with focus!
 |
| Porter carrying luggage |
16th January 2018
Yet again after the 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 drill, we left for our trek. This day we were supposed to reach Tibb caves. And to my pleasant surprise we reached there by 1:40 pm. As there was enough sun to soak at the camp site, we kept lying on stones in sun. On days like these, the book I bought at the airport came handy :)
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| Ice like glass |
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| Tibb cave - Porter cooking for himself |
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| The gang at Tibb cave |
17th January 2018
After the 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 drill, we left for our trek. The Chadar was now narrower and only at the corners.
 |
| The twisted angle |
This day was much longer. After walking for hours with complete focus and attention. We reached to the final point. Unfortunately the Chadar was broken there and hence we had to hike up and descend a grueling mountain to reach the frozen waterfall. I found descending alot more scarier because one step here to there and boooommm you would fall down!
 |
| The view while walking down the last stretch |
Yet again here it was heart wrenching to see all the porters carrying heavy luggage with their sledges on their back and still helping some of us to walk that scary path!
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| This patch was really scary! |
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| Veer tum bare chalo! |
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| Narek village in far sight |
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| The path to Narek village |
Dev our guide gave us an option to wake up at 4 am and go hike to Narek village and come back by 8:30 am to leave back with the entire group. I chose against it as first in the dark it made no sense to hike and second if at 6:30 am its freaking cold then at 4 am in the morning, I would have become Jyoti Stupa :p!
And Finally we reached to the frozen waterfall. After taking photos for an hour or so we finally reached to the campsite.
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| The fall! |
At the campsite there are rooms available but as there were plethora of people TTH could only get 2 rooms hence some of us had to sleep in tents. I chose to sleep in the tent but before I could get one, all the tents were occupied.
When I requested Dev, he said this " When there is no option!, there is an option" :) and TTH group put a tent for me on the roof of the rooms and that night I slept like a queen in my tent :D under the starry sky with the beautiful sound of Zanskar river flowing beside me.
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| Dev our trek lead |
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| My tent on roof top! |
Now was the time to return back and also the time to tell your brain its ok! Dont give up! Up until now, I had the excitement and anticipation to reach to my final destination but now the epiphany of monotony had set in! We reached back to Tibb caves for the first day. By now my shoulder had started giving up on me with the 7 kg bag that I was carrying so at the campsite the drill of putting volini and eating pain killer was also set in
It was so surprising to see that the Chadar which was so strong and sturdy while we were going to Narek was now already slushy and watery. At lot of places we had to climb up as Chadar was really thin and it was not safe to walk over it!
 |
| The return |
Few people also fell in water and hence its a good idea to keep socks ( lots of socks) handy!
Do keep volini and pain killers and paracetamol etc. as they can sometimes be really helpful.
19th January 2018
As Chadar was drastically melting hence our trek lead suggested to leave early and hence the drill was changed to 6;7 and 8 am. I don't really think I have to even mention this that there was a call outside my tent right at 6 am, madam chai le lo!
Well even though we started early, Chadar was really thin and slushy at lot of stretches. Sometimes, I feel all these are the ways of nature to tell us, the human beings, 'Fuck you back' :(.
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| The porters struggling at one of the tricky patch |
On this day we reached the camp site Somu by 3ish in noon! This day, my group took dancing to a different level by dancing for 3-4 hours from noon till evening and still didn't miss the evening singing! hats off to their stamina :)!
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| The every evening trail |
20th January 2018
This was our last stretch and today's plan was 7,8,9 am. This day we only must have walked for 2 to 21/2 hours. In the last stretch while reaching towards Tilad do, everyone was taking up a huge mountain as Chadar was about to get closed because rocks were falling from top due to road construction. Looking at the huge number of people hiking up the mountain, I rushed via Chadar with Sowmya. It definitely was a tricky stretch to cross alone but I was quite satisfied with our performance :p and also was very very happy that we didn't have to take that humongous mountain at least at the last stretch.
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| Portion during the trek which we could find empty to take photos :) |
When I put my foot in water, the only thing that was ringing in my head was ...'IIIII have become comfortably numb". I took dip one and then the dip 2. By the dip 2, I felt I am going die, my heart has stopped beating.. All the people around were hooting one more , one more....but I came out but...It was soooooo awesome! It was definitely a thing to remember...How that cold water feels on your skin... That's something I will savor for a lifetime!
Finally we changed , had hot noodles and left in our tempo traveler for Leh. During this time, I slept off but to my surprise most of the people were awake and talking.
On the way, 25 km from Leh, we went to Gurudwara Pathar saheb. We paid our homage there. Drank marvelous masala tea with Boondi and namkeen prasad and left back for Leh.
Within an hour we were back to Leh and back to 'Almost civilization'... On the way, my whatsapp started beeping and I just wasn't ready to get back to usual! Not yet! In that moment it definitely crossed my mind...perhaps being away from civilization is not that bad!
One of the days a fellow trekker spoke out few lines from a book he was reading in the dining tent and I think those lines make a perfect ending to my blog post
There is no wisdom of an old man
There is no wisdom of a child
You are as wise as you live in this moment!
Thanks Prithvi for saying it out loud. I totally loved it!
Recommendations
1) Do not buy lot of things from Decathlon. Manage to get down at Leh with bare minimums where it will be -11 degree Celsius and go to the main market and buy gloves, jackets, gum boots, trekking stick as they are alot cheaper and are of good quality
2) Trekking stick for me was mandatory as it really helps to balance though if you want to make your trek more adventurous you must try walking without one :)
3) Monkey cap might make you look like a monkey but it really helps and protects your head and face
4) No matter how much you think that you can take bath in Leh, with -20 degree Celsius and only a bucket of hot water you will be discouraged to take bath ( atleast I was) hence be sensible and carry only another pair of clothes that too just in case you fall in river and wet yourself specially if you plan to carry your luggage which I encourage you to!
5) Buy Diamond gum boots from Leh and carry 5-10 pairs of socks as they get wet very often
6) Carry a Milton water flask. You can buy in Leh as well as its the same price there also
7) Carry a head torch. It will be very useful inside the tent, while going to the loo and almost at all times in night at camp site
8) Carry a book for the days when you might reach earlier than usual on camp sites.
9) For all the women: I definitely didn't change clothes for these 7 days on trek so you might want to carry liners as they can be quite helpful.
10) Do carry a comb and lots of rubber bands. I lost my rubber band and it was quite a nightmare to have hair open with all the static going through your hair and making them fly everywhere!
11) Please carry lot of toilet paper rolls
All the very best! Hope you venture into this once in your lifetime!
