Northern India, specifically the Ladakh Valley, has been an area I have long been wanting to visit. About a decade ago I explored treks in the area looking at routes designed to meander by many of the historical remote Buddhist monasteries that dot this area of the Himalayas. However, as I revisited possible trips to Ladakh this past year, I had to acknowledge that, at the moment, I was not in good enough shape to trek for long periods of time above 16,000 feet. Consequently I started research on other types of opportunities that might exist to see the area that included visiting the monasteries. I found one with Wild Frontiers (the same group I used for my Silk Road tour last summer-see posts under “Central Asia”) and decided to sign up for it. The tour covered not only Ladakh but the greater Kashmir region of India, a popular tourist area despite the proximity to contested borders with both Pakistan and China.
The group met in Delhi so finishing up my Hadrian’s Wall walk, after a few days in London, I boarded my flight and eight hours later met the tour operator at the Delhi airport. It had been approximately 20 years since I had been in Delhi and I forgot how green the city was. The city is huge and sprawls for miles, but the tree-lined streets in the areas that we were driving through created the impression of a much smaller metropolis. After checking into the hotel and getting settled I met the rest of the group for our group meeting and an afternoon of sightseeing. The group is small, myself and two others, three people being the minimum number required to run this trip— it will practically be a private tour!
The India Gate.
Our first stop was Humayun’s tomb, a World Heritage Site (and I am super excited about how many of those I am slowly checking off!), and one of the best preserved Mughal monuments. The tomb is actually a large complex that consists of several mausoleums. It was built in the 16th century and was the first garden tomb built in India. The key element is symmetry, with the tomb situated in the center surrounded by four quadrants of symmetrical gardens. Like similar tombs elsewhere, other family members have been interred in the building. Several tombs in the area actually pre-date Humayun’s tomb, one of which is the tomb of Isa Khan Niyazi, an Afghan noble in the court of the Sur Empire, enemies of the Mughals. Clearly there is a LOT of history to learn about this part of the world!
Isa Khan mausoleum near Humayun’s tomb.
Our next stop was the India Gate which sits on the Kartavya Path a huge boulevard that connects the President’s residence, the India Gate and terminates at the National Stadium. It is on this avenue that national events and parades, such as the January 26 Republic Day Parade, take place. Unfortunately we could not get very close to the President’s house as that part of the Kartavya Path was blocked off. We were able to park and walk over to the India Gate, a memorial to both British and Indian soldiers killed in both the Afghan war of the early 1900’s and the First World War. I had briefly visited this area on my first trip to Delhi 20 years ago but it was nice to visit again.
One of the main market streets in Leh. Unfortunately all closed up when we arrived.
The next morning we headed directly to the airport for our flight to Leh, the capital of Ladakh. Interestingly, Leh was another important stop on the Silk Road, tying in nicely with the trip I did last summer. The flight into the valley is a bit sporty, the pilot having to just barely skim over the mountains then descend sharply to land- apparently night flights are prohibited as are flights in sketchy weather. But we landed with no problem and were soon settled in our hotel. The city and surrounding region is popular with tourists so there are lots of hotels and guest houses, but walking around the city center it was hard to tell how crowded the area was—all of the business were closed. Apparently there was a general strike happening on that day and in protest all of the stores stayed closed. Luckily we had lunch and dinner at our hotel so were not affected. After a short walk to get the layout of the town, we had the afternoon free to rest and I was grateful for the time to relax as, weirdly enough, I was feeling the altitude- 11,500 feet. After an early dinner, I headed straight to bed, hoping to feel better in the morning.
A mosque in town- both Shia and Sunni Muslims live in the region as well as many Buddhists. Not so many Hindus reside here though.