Everyone talks about seeing the gompas and stupas in Leh and its environs, but I confess I had to look up both words.  And I bet other people either won’t admit they don’t know what these words mean or don’t bother looking them up.  So to make it easier for you, a gompa is a Tibetan monastery, and a stupa is a Tibetan Buddhist monument that’s mound- or dome-shaped.

Anita and I hired a car and driver to take us to a few gompas of his choice, since we didn’t have a clue where to go.  Unfortunately much of the drive covered the same territory as the bus ride from Manali to Leh, so the scenery wasn’t new.  But were were in a jeep, so much more comfy than the bus.  We saw the Hemis Monastery, known (I think) for having the largest number of Tibetan monks in India, somewhere around 300.  But it was a smaller one, the Thiksey Monastery, which blew me away.  The views were spectacular, and the place had a palpable sense of calm and peace.  We wandered around and saw a few young monks.  One in particular, probably about five or six years old, with a shaved head and red robes, was so adorable.  I missed it, but Anita noticed that he wore slippers with cartoon characters on them.  He may be a monk in training, but he’s still a kid.  Too cute.  The trip ended with a visit to the Shey Palace, a tough hike up but worth it.

Every monastery has prayer wheels, usually lots of small ones and one or two large ones.  They’re all over Leh, too, in what seem to be random places.  The wheels have prayers inside them, and spinning them clockwise has the same effect as orally reciting the prayers.  I love the sentiment.

Our time with the driver was supposed to be four hours, but it last nearly six door to door.  The driver was very relaxed about it, and we weren’t charged anything extra as we would be in the US.  I forgot: Time just has a whole different meaning in India.  It's simulataneously one of the things that frustrates me about India and also something I'll miss when I'm back in the US.

Trip to the Nubra Valley

Upon arriving in Leh we went straight to the Dorje guest house and relaxed after the grueling journey to get here.  Leh is in Ladakh, a region in the state called Jammu & Kashmir.  (Srinagar, the capital of the state, has been in the news lately because of political unrest and city-wide lockdowns.  No worries -- Leh is quite far from there both physically and politically.)  Leh is very relaxed, and the weather is fantastic.  Since this is yak country, there are t-shirts sold all over town that say “Ladakh yak yak yak.”  It reminds me in many ways of McLeod Ganj: A large Tibetan presence, lots of Western tourists, a chill vibe, and many restaurants and jewelry shops.  The shopping is definitely still India.  I can’t walk past a shop without being asked to look inside.  If I so much as mention that I’m interested in something and ask the price -- boom! -- the negotiations have begun.  The advice I’ve gotten is to counteroffer with half of the seller’s opening offer.  It’s going to be weird to be back in the US and not negotiate for anything.  Sometimes the sellers try to guilt tourists into buying something, saying “I give you good price.  I need to make one sale today” or explaining how they have only three months out of the year to earn money since the road to Leh is closed during the remaining months.  Another similarity to McLeod Ganj and the rest of India is the frequent power cuts that last quite a while, sometimes 24 hours.  There seem to be no reason for the cuts, as it clearly has nothing to do with the weather. 

There's some stuff to do in Leh itself, but not tons.  The main activity seems to be using Leh as a starting point for other trips -- trekking, jeep safaris, whitewater rafting, etc.  Whitewater rafting caught Anita's fancy -- she'd never done it before (I'd done it once and loved it), and the idea of saying we went whitewater rafting in the Himalayas was very appealling.

We set off early to go trekking for 4 days and 3 night in Aru and Lidderwat. Trekked from the village of Aru 20KM to the Lidderwat Valley. It's a long trek but very scenic, so no time to get bored. We took an extra horse which we were extremely grateful for, the trek from the site before Aru to the valley is uphilll and hardwork when you are carrying your backpack!

The Lidderwat Valley is serene and uninhabited, so pick up any supplies for Pahalgam, or there are smaller shops in Aru.

Decided on a long day trip today, as had an inkling that I wanted to go to a village called Panzgam - meaning five villages. We drove up through Handwara, Kupwara, Drugmulla and finally to Panzgam. The area ha a high volume of  army and militants but was a very beautiful place, I would advise anyone travelling in these areas to excise caution and check to see what is happening in that area on the news before commencing travel.

The road from Handwara is ok, but from Kupwara is a rough ride!

Panzgam itself was set onthe plains of a valley, surrounded by beautiful mountains - words can't explain how stunning it is to see villages unspoilt by tourism and modern day life - one ofmy favourite places in Kashmir.

Kupwara and Handwara are standard Kashmiri towns, plenty of shops, people and traffic.

The trip is for those who believe in the deity and wish to visit the temple. The 12 Km walk up the hill from Katra is sheer fun and faith. There are all kinds of people you will meet along the way, some walking, some riding on a horse, some in a 'doli' which is essentially carried by 2-4 people, some rolling on the ground all the way up ! This is because they have vowed to themselves to complete the visit in this fashion !! Near halfway up is a place called "Adhkumari" which is a temple and it has a sort of a cave through which one should go; its said that to date no one has got stuck in that, one just needs to have faith. I had a certain fear of being trapped inside, and not being able to move, but eventually I did crawl out, chanting out "Jai Mata Di" all through. As the journey continues 6 more kms, you reach the temple of Vaishnodevi. Because of the sheer number of people visiting the place, you would not be allowed to have a look at the idol of the Goddess for more than 20-30 seconds ! The official website is http://maavaishnodevi.org/new1/index.html

Decided to go to Uri today via Baramulla and taking Sumo Jeeps. The journey there and back was absolutely stunning, green valleys, tall mountains, with rice fields and small villages set inbetween.

I arrived in Uri at lunch time. Tourism is not popular here, and as a woman travelling alone - I can't say I felt really comfortable despite wearing headscarf and being fully covered. The local people are generally very welcoming - and as soon as I walked up the street I was ushered into the nearest hotel and police station to register my stay for safety, as Uri is 3km from the Pakistan line of control.

To travel to the line of control you have to gain permission from the police and army, as the it is an active area with militancy. I decided against staying the night due to a small incident with a man grabbing me, and a docile police man that would do nothing about it. I would advise any females travelling alone in Kashmir that if you are going to non-tourist areas to travel with a male friend, companion - anyone really, it makes such a difference to the way you are treated. Most people are respectful and very kind, interested and pleasant to meet but it only takes one person to upset a trip.

I arrived back in Srinagar late at night with no further problems, am planning some camping and trekking in Pahalgam, Aru and Lidderwat with some of my Kashmiri friends or this week.

I've been in Srinagar one week now. The jeep journey up was long (8 hours) but very interesting and def better option than the bus which took me 17 hours last time! I'm staying on a house boat on Dal Lake with a family, having a really nice time and seeing many places.

This week I have visited Old Srinagar and Roza Bal, the crypt/shrine of Yuz Asaf, also known as Jesus - many resources confirm that Jesus fled to Kashmir after the crucifizion. It was a moving experience - can't really be put into words.

I also have seen Lal Chowk, known as New Srinagar and surrounding areas. On Saturday I climbed the Shankaracharya hill to see the Hindu Tempe, built on a site known as the new Takht-I-Sulemein. On Monday I travelled to Harwan, a village 12km North of Srinagar to see a 2000 year old religious site - attributed to buddhist monks, was a beautiful walk to the site and nice gardens/parks nearby also and the baute reserve and lake there.

The Mughal gardens (Shalimar) and Pari Mahal are very beautiful and worth the trip, its also refreshing to pay the same price as everyone else for entry (not the usual: indian price 10 rupees/foreign tourist price 200 rupees).

In the morning we caught a sumo jeep from Srinagar to Baramulla, feeling a little nervy as been advised by a lot of people not to go  as it is fairly close to the line of control. What I actually found was a lovely town built either side of the Jhelum river, flowing towards lush green valleys.

The people of Baramulla are very friendly, helpful and polite. We had not problems there from anyone, and the police and army were also friendly there. We spent the morning walking around the old part of the city, viewing the Sikh Temple there and some mosques. We were also invited to a back street bakery to watch how they make different types of traditional Kashmiri bread, and some free samples!

We headed back to the central part of the market back on the other side of the bridge to catch the jeep to Sopore, 15 rupees later and a short journey we arrived in Sopore. spend much time here as we had to catch the bus to Ahm Sharif to start the walk up Mount Nebo.

We arrived at Sonomarg after driving through beautiful valleys, still thick with snow on the tops and the huge roaring river Sindh flowing through the valley and villages. We found some accomodation with the governemnt tourist office there, and stayed in the dormitories. The afternoon was spent aching from the trekking the previous day and exploring the village, meeting local people who worked there and enjoying the lush surroundings.

Thajewas Glacier is impressive, sitting high on the side of the mountain, you can see it from most places in Sonomarg, you can also walk to it or take a pony ride.

In the evening we went down to the main street of shops to pick up some supplies, and made our way back to eat food in the tourist bungalows. We met some of the Tourist Police who were really nice and accomodating.

That night a huge storm picked up, high winds, lots of rain and very very cold! Be prepared for power cuts :)

The following day we made our way back to Srinagar via Kangan.

After another short sumo jeep ride from Sopore we arrived at Bandipoor, the ride around the lake was beautiful and I was very excited to arrive there. We then caught a bus to Ahm Sharif, a small village at the bottom of the mountain. Matheus and I managed to have a fit of giggles as man on the bus had a restless chicken on his lap that kept clucking and moving around. This managed to provide a lot of entertainment for the locals who were really bemused at us crying with laughter.

Arriving at Ahm Sharif was a suprise, I don't think many tourists have been that way for a long time. Everyone was staring, but it was so friendly there and the children were great. We found the path at the base of the mountain and thought the climb to village of Buth/Butu was an hour - I joked saying that if we ran we could make it in half an hour - that was until I saw the mountain ahead of us! The climb actually was an hour and a half, and gruelling at best at the start, but easened up a little when we reached the forest. There is no road to the village, so people make this trip every day to work and school - I can't imagine what it is like in the winter here!

We got to Buth quite late in the afternoon, and were halted by the army. We were advised it was safe to visit the Tomb of Moses, but not to climb back down the mountain as it is not safe at night. When we asked why, we were informed that the Pakistan control line was only 7Km away, and that many militants hid in these mountains, which is why hardly anyone visits the area. So we made our way to the tomb, on the way to Mount Nebo.

When we got there we met a man called Nazir, who told us that his family had been guarding the tomb for centuries. His grandfathers' picture is actually in the book 'Jesus Lived In India' - we were invited to spend the night with his family, due to safety reasons. I felt honoured to experience this, so we spent the night at this family house, and met the family and his animals.

We had a bright early rise in the morning, with a breakfast of maize rotis and chai made with goats milk. After another visit to the Major in the army camp we were cleared to visit the village for 2 hours, but not to go into the mountains or forest, which kind of spoiled our plans to climb Mount Nebo (Niltoop) which was also 7Km away. So we made our way to a waterfall and small stream - it is a truly beautiful village and area, unspoilt by tourism, the villagers told me a road was being planned for next year - so I guess many changes are on the way. At present there is not even a shop in the village, and electricity supply is unreliable.

At lunch we climbed back down the mountain after being released by the army (heavy artillery rumbled through the mountains), where we spent some time at the local school and drinking Kawwa. The children and local people were very curious but friendly, and delighted to practice the English they had been learning at school. From there we caught a bus back to Bandipoor - where we stopped for chai and samosas, and witnessed a militants rally throught the streets - people fighting to free Kashmir, so it can be an independant state. From there we caught the local bus back to Sringagar (3hrs).

Headed off early Tuesday morning with basic kit and clothes packed, caught a Sumo from outside of Srinagar to Kangan, where we had to change and caught the bus up to Naranag village. The bus trip was great fun, the first time I have ever sat on the roof of a bus - as the inside was too packed to move! Made it up to the middle of the mountain, where we stopped at a school for an hour while waiting for the next bus to arrive. The teacher there was so nice, and met a lot of the Gujari children who are learning Urdu and Kashmiri there. Survived the bus trip by dodging all the branches hanging from trees and low lying electric cables! The man on the top of the bus was a bit annoying as he kept shouting through the village on the way up "The tourists are here! the English are here!", I nearly battered him.

Naranag village is a weird place to be if you have not booked through a tour guide etc, but is a lot of fun if you don't upset anyone. A lot of people go through tour packages and pay scandalous amounts of money, I managed to tell one girl how she could claim her money back and recieved a few death threats.

 We found a house to stay in for the night, and paid for renting a room. That afternoon we walked along the river, met a lot of Gujaris (mountai people) and gypsies. Beware of the children - they are expert pick pockets and can remove bracelets, watches, etc! The ruins at Naranag are worth the visit, although no oe in the village really knows the history so you can read up about it before you go, some people say it's hindu, others say Buddhist, but they are beautiful all the same.

 Then the next morning headed up at 6am for the huge climb up the mountain. We started off at 2,200, and made it to 3,400m to see Gangabal Lake. the veiw was so beautiful and we were blessed with good weather and safety as we opted to go it alone with no guide or camping gear! I was amazed that I had climbed to 11,000ft, and though a little short of breath soaked up all the scenery, and managed to find some time to play in the snow :)

We got back to the village at 4pm in time to get the bus back to Kangan, where we found that there was no transportation to Sonomarg and that the only guesthouse was a grott pit and they wanted 300 rupees for it! A kind man in the chai shop offered us to stay in his place for the night, so we managed to get 4 hours sleep with his constant smoking of his hubbly-bubbly pipe and coughing. Headed from Kangan to Sonomarg at 8am by Sumo (50 rupees) to make a move from this weird and wonderful place!