Pangong-Tso

 A Lake from Heaven

Union with God is the only heaven there is and it begins here on earth.

                                                                               - Macrina Weiderkehr, A Tree full of Angels

                             As truly said there’s hardly drawing a line between the two worlds when the sights exude the same charm of beauty, spiritual solace and an infinite divinity.   The Pangong-Tso is one such creation which can even elude the Gods from heaven to seek pleasure of its magnificent sight that it offers we immortals here on earth.

As anyone would discover the geographical boundaries either from Google or various travel guides nearly 70% of its extension stretches in to the Chinese territory. But whatever remains in India is an asset to preserve with glory and pride. For the religious monks and people of Ladakh the lakes are as sacred as their own places of dwelling. The sanctum sanctorum of Buddhism allures people from all over the world. They come here and try to capture as much as they can to satiate their desires of such a combination of sanctity and pleasure.  Travelling a long journey of nearly 180 kms from Leh passing through colourful mountain passes and valley with the pristine rivulets accompanying us every now and then, the sight of the Pangong-Tso as our expected destination is a soulful experience that remains deeply embedded forever. The contours and various moods of the lake keep changing every now and then as you move your eyes around its vastness kissing the horizons.  Blue is not just ‘simply blue’ here! .......Its presence glamorizes and adorns itself beautifully blended with the reflections of mountains and clear blue skies as you watch the lake surface. With the sunrise and the rays falling in different directions on the lake  the shades of Turquoise, cerulean blue, Prussian, deep sea blue and much more give a  never ending sight for an artist to create or capture a masterpiece on his canvas.  I sat for a while near the shore watching those still pebbles glistening beneath the soft waves of the water.  Small fishes could be seen coming close towards the edge with graceful moves sometimes hiding or encircling those small white pebbles.  These living creatures are a part of the sacredness which the monks believe should be untouched or unharmed by anyone who visits them.  Tourists were seen spending some time with leisure undisturbed by the cold windy breezes blowing around the vicinity of the lake.  Near the lake stands a hill top which is said to be an excavation point for Garnet lovers.  Called as Garnet-Hill this one gathers attention from hikers and trekkers by the very fact that if offers raw crystals and rocks of dark wine or burgundy coloured Garnets which is a semiprecious stone often seen studded in the Ladakhi or any ethnic jewellery. 

With greed of collecting some myself I did reach to some h eight but the exhaustion and the lack of oxygen diminished my motives of further climbing up. However my queer intentions made me accomplish my goals a bit as I tucked in some few rough pieces of Garnets found while I declined down to the base.

A nearby army cafe sheltered us for a while as we sumptuously and hungrily gulped down the piping hot noodles and some over sweetened tea.  As the driver began to accelerate I gave a last glance to the lake bidding adieu as calmly as ever to all its visitors...................the still quiet and blue waters of the lake were speaking  just one note out to me...............We  will be here always !!

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NYOMA

A Hamlet in Oblivion

Visiting a quaint and quietly secluded place such as a hamlet was never on my cards until I discovered an essence of tranquillity while I stayed in Nyoma. On our way to certain attention seeking places such as the highest located astronomical telescopic observatory in ‘Hanle’, the famous hot water springs of Ladakh and the remotely located lake of Tsomorari, we decided to sojourn for a night at a small meagrely equipped place called Nyoma. While Nyoma is nothing more than a desolated village which fills in the needs of tourists like us for some shelter, it is o ne of the domains of solace after you have travelled a back breaking journey of nearly 200 kms from Leh.  With a population that will hardly exceed even 500, the village emerges chirpy and filled with liveliness as the sun dawns spreading its comfort rays all around embraces every corner of the hamlet. A small government clinic, a government school both for boys and girls, the BSNL tower and the Power and Water Department offices can be seen located close to the vicinity and in easy communication.  For the frequent mobile users and internet freaks who otherwise find it difficult to communicate due to poor network Nyoma comes as a surprising relief.

As for me I couldn’t wait moving out from my small guest room to seek the pleasure of sun basking even in the month of October. The village seemed to be blessed by a healthy air, peace flowing rivers of Indus, a monastery to experience divinity and its ever smiling people who would always exude a welcoming charm around you with their hospitable ways and helpful nature. School children would stop past my room and look forward to play with my two year old daughter. In return my daughter would insist me to take her to visit a nearby hostel from whence they came to share their smiles and laughter with us. She would be pepped up with such a lively entertainment thrown by villagers of all the ages.  Morning teas with plenty of herbs such as dried mint and basil brewed with ginger were the luxurious begins as I would sit perched on one of the open terraces of my rooms and silently admire the tall ice peaked mountains staring  me  from their static distance.  Local shops would sell everything from vegetables and fruits cluttered with woollen clothes, cosmetics, stationary as well as some medicines so one doesn’t have to prioritize what they need first to buy, just land in one of these shops and watch for a while........and you while find everything in these miniature malls to serve your needs.  An owner with her face covered leaving her eyes exposed and one of her toddlers tucked neatly behind her back explained that since the visit by tourists to their village is nearly sparse and only existed in summers they had to clog all kinds of items ranging from consumer to cosmetic in small place as it became easier for the customer and saved their time. Well indeed I thought....... for I nearly picked up some gloves, a sachet of a hair conditioner and a packet of noodles from one same shop!

Although my stay at Nyoma was just a few days it left a lasting impression on my mind as apart from other happening tourist spots in Ladakh, this one took me back to solitude and a world of its own where people were found to live with just one thing......harmony!!

Ladakh

The journey

Ladakh apart from being a tourist land exudes an essence of quaintness in its desolated hamlets. Reaching a height of about 30,000 ft above the sea-level from Leh lies world’s highest located lakes such as the famous Pangong-Tso and Tso-Morari lakes. Although nearly 70% of its water body lies in China whatever remaining portion enters geographically in Indian Territory is a place to cherish and preserve environmentally.

After a three day sojourn in Leh and seeing around I planned my first visit to the Pangong-Tso which is around 180kms from this main junction.  Go anywhere in Ladakh your beginning point would always remain Leh for the very reason that its suits your comfort in every possible way.  The mountains of different colours and patterns remained our quiet hosts throughout as we drove past them. So did the rivers and rivulets of Sutlej and Zanskar popping up every now and then and played hide and seek with us. Pristine aqua blue free flowing rivers spoke of the joy of freedom in wilderness. The Druk thorn shrubs were seen growing abundantly along the rivulets with a harmony. The calm rustlings of these rivers is the one music that we can hear amidst the backdrop of serenity and silence of the rocky companions apart from the ladakhi religious drums seen rotating at every spot of civilization.  Albeit the barren sandy and quiet look of Ladakhi Mountains their vivid colours allured my heart. I couldn’t stop glaring at each one with admiration and a grappling smile on my lips. Granite green, pinkish red, chrome yellow, and some snow covered mountains stood sturdy as if their entourage was silently welcoming its strange visitors wanting to capture them inside their small digital frames of cameras. They seemed to look at us with a gesture of antiquity and past historical bonding.  As we kept driving ahead we sojourned for a while at one route which was the domain of snow clad mountains and plains.  It was the pass of ‘Chang-La’ which comes at a height of around 30,000 ft above the main sea level.  Snow drifts itself to encapsulate this area clearly differentiating itself from its other colourful competitors.  A small but attractive souvenir shop owned by the army eluded me to take a look at what was exhibited inside it. Gift articles such as T-shirts with an embroidered picture of the wonderful Pangong-Tso, coffee brown and beige coloured Yaks adorned with artistic tapestry look, mugs and glasses with the same theme and other artefacts too were displayed at very reasonable rates.  It was my salute to the warriors of the Indian army for maintaining this pursuit at such an altitude where one can just about freeze in no time with the temperatures going below zero degrees even in the month of October.  Our ten minute break of a cuppa tea added some zest to our mountain journey as we proceeded ahead.

        Sometimes the journey that we are on while travelling makes us forget our destination. No matter where we reach but the exhilaration and true contentment lies surely in how and where we take up our path. Although the point where we were to hit was expectedly far more attractive than we could imagine but I wasn’t actually thinking of the destination here as the scenes that I drove past were an exciting and rejuvenating experience in itself. And I sought as much pleasure as possible capturing each and every sight tagging it firmly to the core of my soul....!

'Chill' out!

Posted Today 07:57 PM        

Winter is back...the time for poppy's and sweet peas to be planted in every garden,
time for evening coffee's and morning sunshines,
time to put aside the summer stuff back in to boxes and refurbish the ones preserved all this while....

time for bonfires and barbeques.......

time to give a thought to ur actions in the past and bring some changes in them for the future.....

time to retrieve and relax from the ongoing journey called life,

time to be back at one corner with friends....

time for that pampering for your body.....

time for a new photoshoot!!

time to celebrate!!!

wishing u all happy and 'warm' winters......

enjoy all u guys out there.

Jigm Tsewang- The Female Monk

     With her suave looks and gentility in her voice 'Jigme Tsewang' eluded my heart. Female monks in Ladakh are called 'Chomos' and lead a spirituality dedicated life just like any other nun from any other religion. As our car reached and honked at 'Nun'gompa's' gate, she was seen already heading towards us ,probably she must have noticed one lonely vehicle approaching from far away peek-abooing amidst the mountain passes. A smile that could capture admiration and an age which couldn't be hidden behind those sparkling pearl white teeth, this female monk was like an open book unread by may be any one I thought! She showed me around the sacred places of the monastery especially where they meditated, prayed and lived like independent souls though carefully guarded and directed by their respective seers or teachers.

 A cup of tea was soon brought by one another inmate of the Gompa who consicuously moved away as the camera peeked at her face. As Jigme began to go back to her history and answer my curious questions, her veracity to her own life left me amazed. She had been practising this religion and followed the path of a monk through the channels of virginity and self renunciation to reach to her meritorious goals with complete pristine transparency. Now that she had turned a mere thirty year old completely detached from her family and mother country Nepal, her thoughts and perspectives of a feminine life seemed transcending the realities that a woman has to actually undergo all through her effortful life. For truly her soul seemed going along well with her decisions unaffected by any material desires of body and mind. After a cuppa tea me however intended catching some few austere glances of 'Jigme' in my camera.  Petite and shy as she already seemed , Jigme displayed a crystal clear ignorance of my inviting actions for a photogenic snap of hers!  For a moment I thought of placing myself in her shoes ....and lo there my daughter cried from the car wanting all her mother's attention again !   The unspeaking echoes slowly faded away as I rushed to pick her up and introduce my little angel to this pious monk!

Reclination....

                            Although the month of October has begun, sunshine in Leh is at its brightening best. I have chosen ‘sun-basking’, munching nuts, drinking lots of warm water and avoiding having tablets like disprins or ‘Dimox’ as a part of my acclimatization here along with 72 hour complete rest recommended by all those who have faced the pangs and roughness of the weather here in Leh. 

                                  The wrath of initial altitude sickness comes often uninvited and can only be kicked off by proper rest and warm food. Giving a try to meditation with some breathing exercises will surely help alternatively as it will enhance our oxygen intake in a proper way. Not to forget dabbing my face with a sunscreen lotion with a higher SPF something like 45 or even 50 even in this month makes me imagine the ‘tanning’ problems tourists face during the peak summers here. Nevertheless the sunshine is soothing and neutralizes well with the cool breeze which have of late become the expected guests for the time being.

Leh...A shopper's paradise!

  A visually small market is abundantly loaded with attractive shops ranging anything from exquisite antiques hailing from the nearby country Tibet to the much in demand 'Pashmina wool' from Kashmir.

  I couldn't take my eyes off an antique brass piece of the 'sleeping Buddha' which comes in innumerous shapes, sizes moulded in metals like copper, brass ( also blended with green granite), as also the horns of Yaks. beaded necklaces, wrist bands of black pearls, rings looking royal with a single large Jade stone (or even 'Lapislazuli') studded inside it are bound to be one of the inevitable shopping souveniers in the Leh market. Traditional stones like 'Turquoise' are seen smartly blended with white pearls and corals.

  As I walked past the stalls, I tried to be at my bargaining best. As the winters couldn't wait to leap here most of the Ladhakhis and Kashmiris were on the verge of closing their shops and move to profit yeilding places like Goa and Delhi where tourism begins to soar higher. Yet, a ten minute chat with one of the sellers ('Tashi' was his name) updated my information on the 'genuinity' on black pearls ( or any kinds of pearls for that instance!!). He used a small fire to prove his pearls were 'real'. Bringing fire close to them didn't change or deskin them in any way or even get charred.
Now that was an intelligent selling by Tashi as I finally shed some weight off my pockets by carefully and cleverly picking up a three-stringed pearl necklace with a wrist band after an effortful bargaining.